No Honor Among Thieves
by Lowland Warrior
Summary: When Gwen is cheated out of another million dollar prize by Chris, she is given an offer to get so much more prize money and finally get revenge for everything Chris did to her; by staging an ambitious heist on his headquarters. But the road to revenge is a dark path, with many side-paths leading you further astray from your morals.
1. Dirty Dealings And Peculiar Proposals

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **Zoinks! A new story!**

 **Once upon a time, some 9 months ago, I proposed a story idea where Gwen wanted to rob Chris after she was cheated out of her prize. Applauze, a good friend of mine from the TD Writer's Forum, liked it a lot and we agreed to co-write the story!**

 **While Gwen is pretty much the main character, the focus will sometimes shift to others who'll help her plan and perform the heists!**

 **I'd love to tell you more, but that would spoil the surprise wouldn't it?**

 **Anyway, by the way things look right now, Applauze and I will co-write this story. He will do half of the chapter while I do the other! And I'm sure it'll lead to nice things!**

 **This story will be rated T for violence and coarse language.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Dirty Dealings And Peculiar Proposals.**

* * *

A blistering heat scorched the badlands of Drumheller. But that didn't stop a girl, dressed in black and teal clothing with a gothic air from running through the land. Gwen had just pulled off what so far no contestant of the show could do, make the finals twice. She'd ended up as the graceful runner-up in her first finale, but this time, she was about to win 1 million dollars by participating in Total Drama Get-Together, a season where she was pitted against many contestants from different casts -or 'generations' as they were commonly called- and with the massive lead she had against the other finalist, life had to throw her a massive curveball would she miss out on the money now.

It couldn't be said with full certainty, but Gwen being 25 years and having much more experience as opposed to many of the other, quite green, generations still being in their teens could've helped her a lot in achieving this. Evidence supporting this theory was that the other finalist was Noah, another contestant of the first hour.

Finally, as the finish came into view, Gwen felt like she was going to be rewarded for all the hardships she had to endure on the show, but most certainly outside the show as well, as several of her actions weren't very well received to say the least, such as the infamous 'Gwuncan scandal'; where she cheated on her friend Courtney, who she'd grown close to at the time, by willingly kissing her boyfriend. This earned her the ire of many Total Drama fans, especially the ones that were fans of Courtney and Duncan as a couple.

Gwen could never fathom that people seriously supported Total Drama contestants being together as a couple, but also that these people could lash out to her so severely. The scandal would follow Gwen for quite some years, and people wouldn't stop indentifying her as 'the boyfriend stealer'. Though Gwen was convinced that having Duncan as her boyfriend would be worth it, their relationship turned rocky and they eventually broke up. If Gwen knew that she'd end up with nothing but trouble for kissing Duncan, she would've thought it over a second time. After all, she did a lot of things, but people looked down on her for that particular sin the most. And something else that irked her about their relationship was how little Duncan was held accountable for it and how lax he dealt with it.

But soon, she'd find out if the million was a worthy reimbursement for the tough years she had to endure as she crossed the finish line and walked onto a wide circle drawn onto the ground, guided by the applause of the other eliminated contestants.

She wasn't really sure whether the contestants applauded for her because they were genuinely happy, but Gwen took satisfaction out of the acknowledgement that she had just won the finale which consisted of a run half the length of a marathon riddled with challenges based on Olympic sports. Gwen didn't think it was the most original finale, exhausting? Definitely, Gwen was drenched in sweat and was panting like a dog that had ran half the continents length to fetch a ball, but original? Not really.

''Chris, it were 2 long months, I was in it from the very beginning to the very end, and I'd like to see it being worth my while.'' Gwen demanded from Chris when he appeared, holding the armored case containing a million dollars in cash. Despite the intention of looking angry, she couldn't help but smile as well as she enjoyed the moment she waited for so long.

''Let's wait for Noah first shall we? After all, he probably doesn't want to miss out on the _final_ part of the finale!'' Chris announced, dropping a bomb on Gwen as her face went blank while deep inside, she began to fear the worst.

''What.'' Gwen deadpanned.

''Gwen, for the last part of the finale, you have to wrestle Chef Hatchet!'' Chris excitedly explained, bearing that fake, wide grin that Gwen grew to despise so badly.

Practically every Olympic event was represented in the finale, from horse riding to arching and from swimming to ping pong but realized that wrestling was not represented in any way. She should've known that it was saved for one final trick by Chris. As there was no chance that she could beat a hulking man as Chef Hatchet, especially with her being this tired from the challenges.

Soon after, Noah reached the finish. He was in a even worse shape than Gwen. After all, Noah had the fitness of a elderly turtle. He knew that he was doomed from the start, as he famously quoted 'Sports aren't my forte', but he tried anyways. It's something short of a miracle that he even managed to finish this shortly after Gwen, or even finish at all.

Chef Hatchet appeared in a classic wrestling singlet while Gwen noted that Chris was probably informing Noah on the current events, and he seemed to give the same flat reaction as Gwen, though that could've been because of his usual demeanor.

''Here's the deal, 2 out of 3 wins. If Gwen wins, she wins her money, but if Chef wins, then he gets the million!'' Chris started to explain.

''Hold on hold on!'' Gwen angrily interrupted Chris as she stomped closer to him. ''You didn't say a thing about this _at all_ before the finale!'' she protested.

''I do believe I did!'' Chris sneakily replied, scratching his chin and smiling impishly, which confused Gwen a tiny bit.

Gwen was absolutely certain that Chris never mentioned this part of the finale beforehand. But without solid proof, it would be pointless to argue with him. She breathed deeply and walked into the ring, aware that she'd almost certainly lose the main prize to a staff member of the show, even when she was so close to it… _again_.

''We'll play civilized. No tickling, groping, biting, spitting and choking! Okay?'' Chris finished.

''What about punching and kicking?'' Gwen cynically asked.

''That's allowed, but only if necessary!'' Chris uninterestedly answered as he backed up and left Chef and Gwen alone in the ring.

Chris held an air horn high up in the air and sounded it. Immediately, Chef dove onto Gwen. She fought valiantly and managed to hold Chef off for a small time.

''If it was for me, you'd have gotten your money.'' Chef quietly muttered at Gwen during their struggle. This caught Gwen off-guard.

''What?''

Despite the second that Gwen dropped her guard, the hulking man made use of it by overpowering Gwen and pinned her to the ground.

''And the first win goes to Chef Hatchet!'' Chris announced as Chef humbly smiled and the crowd calmly cheered, even some of the allies Gwen made she was sure were rooting for her, and it angered her a little more as to how they could be such sellouts. Though something that surprised her a little was seeing how Noah was doing, sitting by himself. He looked concerned, but also as if he was calculating something.

Then there was the thing Chef told her, was he serious? Or was it just to throw Gwen off her game? Knowing that she couldn't know for sure now, she resolutely got on her feet and prepared for the second round. Chris held the air horn up in the air for a moment before he sounded it.

Before Gwen could even move a muscle, Chef had lunged toward her, lifted her up and had casually thrown her out of the ring. The crowd mostly gasped in shock as Gwen was starting to boil in anger.

''So close, and still the million dollar slips out of Gwen's grasp!'' Chris sympathetically announced, though Gwen was well aware that he didn't mean any of the sympathy, nor has he seemingly ever done so.

''This is a sham!'' Gwen snarled, the built-up fury reaching its climax as she shot up as Chris ignored her and made sure that she wasn't in the picture of the camera. Gwen sauntered off and cursed the host under her breath, who was interviewing Chef, the 'winner' of the season.

* * *

At dusk, as the contestants were holding a small, post-season party, Chris was walking to his car as he casually whistled a tune and held the million dollar briefcase. He opened the car door, but before he could enter, he was greatly startled when Gwen appeared behind him and slammed it shut.

''What, the _fuck_ was that about?!'' She angrily asked, jerking a finger under his chin. ''You never said anything about a wrestling match against Chef!''

''But m'dear, you must be a little confused, because I really did!'' Chris charmingly replied.

''Cut that crap out Chris! I am absolutely positive you did not and there's no way to prove me wrong!'' Gwen snapped back, very assured of her own view of how it happened.

''Well, shall we check the montage ourselves?'' Chris suggested, stretching an arm out to the tent housing said equipment.

''Kindly!'' Gwen irritably agreed before they walked off.

They entered the tent and Chris took a seat behind 1 of the present computers, searching for the right footage while Gwen looking over Chris with a doubtful expression, Chris's carefree demeanor worrying her.

''Here, See for yourself, I really said it!'' Chris pointed out after clicking on a certain file and playing it, which was footage of Chris explaining the challenge.

The footage started at the beginning of the track, which was far away from where the spectating contestants sat.

Gwen realized the lack of spectators now that she was watching the footage and grew suspicious. Though there have been 2 exceptions, Total Drama finales always had the eliminated contestants watch the finale, either in attempt to stir up drama or as punishment for the losers, but now there were none. Despite the conflicts both the finalists had built up over the season, and Gwen thought as if it was _meant_ for the supporters not to be present during the explanation.

''The finale is simple, follow the course and partake and pass every Olympic event there is and reach the finish first!'' Chris explained with the camera having both the host and the finalists in the picture. Plain and simple, just as Gwen remembered it.

''Gee Chris, you really cut corners on originality, haven't you?'' Noah sarcastically remarked, which Gwen remembered as well.

''But that's not all! The winner of the run has to face off and win against Chef Hatchet in a final event in order for the winner to actually _earn_ your money!'' Chris added as the camera focused solely on him, and Gwen raised an eyebrow.

''But y-you never said that!'' Gwen protested as she now began to doubt her own sanity a little.

''That there is evidence on the contrary!'' Chris smugly replied, nodding his head to the screen as the footage kept on playing.

''Let me see!'' Gwen demanded as she shoved Chris's chair aside and rewind the clip several times while Chris idly lounged back and let Gwen inspect.

''I knew it!'' She eventually shouted in realization after carefully checking the footage.

''You did?'' He lazily responded.

''Look at this!'' Gwen ordered Chris, excited at the prospect of being right after all. She played the clip in slow-motion, where it was eventually clear that the footage was doctored, as Gwen pointed at a cut that appeared right before Chris was to explain the final part of the challenge. One that could not be seen if the clip was played on its regular speed.

''You've added a scene of you telling about Chef in-between starting the challenge and explaining it!'' Gwen accused, jerking a finger at Chris, who remained oddly calm and kept on smiling.

Eventually, he chuckled darkly, unnerving Gwen a little. ''Sure we have to brush it up a little, but it's great what a bit of editing can do right?'' He stated just as dark.

''But why? Why did you do all this?!''

''Maybe because I didn't want to fork over 1 million dollar, that's why!'' Chris replied, beginning to sound snappy as well. ''There are a lot of lucrative investment opportunities for Total Drama Inc. and I'm going to exploit them gratuitously!'' He explained before he retrieved a checkbook from inside his shirt.

''But seeing how angry you are, I'm willing to reach a middle ground.'' Chris begrudgingly proposed.

''That is?'' Gwen grumbled, folding her arms. She was sure that whatever Chris was going to offer her, it wouldn't please her.

''I'll give you 50.000 dollars if you keep your mouth shut about all of this, forever!'' Chris offered as he signed the check and flashed it to Gwen, showing her that it was genuine with signature and all.

Contrary to what she expected, Gwen did consider to accept the offer. But her anger with the entire situation and her pride not allowing her to settle for so little after everything she had to endure, this season and all she partook in before, she quickly made up her mind.

''No. I'll only settle for a million!'' Gwen demanded before she ejected the disk containing the footage. ''And if you don't, I'll sue you! This footage will be great evidence!'' She boldly told Chris in a smug mood, something she probably was better off not doing.

Chris's smile faded instantly and a frown took its place. ''Do you think it's _smart_ to blackmail me?!'' He threateningly growled before he cupped a hand around his mouth. ''Security!'' He hollered, and very quickly, 2 burly guards appeared in the tent and grabbed Gwen by her shoulders.

''Let me go!'' Gwen demanded, sounding strained as she tried to wrestle out of the grasp of the guards, clearly to no avail, while Chris pried the disk from Gwen's grasp. When he got it, Chris made a simple gesture, and the guards escorted Gwen to the exit of the tent and rudely threw her out in the dust of the Albertan badlands.

''Thanks guys, I'll take it from here!'' Chris quietly thanked the guards as he patted them on their shoulders before they left. ''I offer you a consolation price and you threaten me? You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, you know!'' Chris stated, crossing his arms and smiling brightly as he looked down to Gwen, feeling superiorly.

''I don't want your consolation price, I want the main one! I won it fair and square! I've let you use me for 10 years!'' Gwen called out between hackling coughs as she slowly got back on her feet. ''I'll still sue you! This isn't over!'' She gravely assured him as she backed away.

''Face it Gwen, it is! A starving artist like you doesn't have the money to sue a multimillion company like mine!'' Chris smugly told her. ''And neither does your mother.'' He quietly added with a rather snide undertone.

''Leave my mom out of this-'' Gwen venomously muttered. She stomped towards Chris with a balled fist, but quickly backed away when she had realized it was no use. She turned her back on Chris and left to prepare to go home, bitter and defeated.

* * *

Several months later, Gwen had mostly put the whole ordeal behind her. During some idle moments she'd think it over and almost get worked up about it, but would also settle down with the conclusion that she was a fool for joining the newest season altogether.

Right now, Gwen was at a small gallery as she once again tried to sell one of her paintings and hoping to get a new customer.

''Good day miss. What do you have for us?'' The curator asked, not recognizing Gwen.

''I call this piece, 'A sonnet of somber'! A depiction of hopelessness!'' Gwen proudly stated when she showed the curator her latest art, a painting bearing a stylistic depiction of what on first glance looked like a bard singing a ballad to a sad woman on a balcony above him, everything in a dominant blue color scheme.

True to Chris's words, Gwen was a typical starving artist, she painted a lot of paintings, but they didn't sell all that well to private customers and so far, she had little luck trying to sell them to galleries too. This inconsistent income commonly landed her in financial troubles… not that Gwen wasn't used to that, her mother raised both her and her brother by herself and she learned well from said experience.

The curator eyed the painting rather uninterested. ''It's not like the painting is subpar, the colors blend in rather well with the general mood and the composition is of a splendid quality. But the thing is, I don't think if it will earn back its money.''

Gwen sighed. ''Does your average visitor like to watch TV?''

''I don't know. Why?''

''Because I am Gwen Detweiler and I made this painting.'' Gwen stated, trying desperately not to sound pretentious or arrogant.

''Who?'' The curator confusedly asked as she genuinely tried to recognize Gwen.

''The moody Goth girl from Total Drama.'' Gwen explained after a quick scoff.

''Oh, now I recognize you! My daughters love it!'' The Curator stated, rather surprised.

''I bet they are.'' Gwen moodily replied as she crossed her arms, but forced herself to put up a small smile as well.

''On second thought, I think I'd be very happy to display your painting and perhaps any of your future works!'' The curator eagerly expressed before she gestured Gwen to come along, who wasn't as happy as someone would be in a similar situation.

There were certain customers that were more willing to buy her art after she had reminded them that it was 'A genuine Gwen Detweiler painting', but when she had to fall back on using her Total Drama fame as a selling point, she'd feel as absolutely cheap as much as she despised the 'sheep' who got more excited by the prospect of buying the painting solely because it came from her hand instead of them liking it or understanding the meaning she gave the painting. It were moments like these where she hated to admit that her involvement with the series was good for something.

* * *

Hours later, Gwen was sipping on a coffee in a nearby coffeehouse after selling her painting for the right price. Again, Gwen was always glad when her paintings sold, but she wasn't proud of how she had achieved it.

She was indulging on the caffeinated beverage when she felt her phone vibrate. She took it out of her pocket and was alerted that someone had sent her a text message, but the sender's number wasn't displayed.

Expecting it to be bothersome advertising of sorts, she was about to delete the text. But for some reason, she wanted to be sure she wasn't deleting something important, so instead of deleting it, she read the text.

'Gwen, like you, I'm not happy with the way how Total Drama Get-Together went down. And for that, I want to offer you a chance to get even. Interested? Go the Presley hotel in Sudbury tonight and ask for Mr. Hart. Come disguised and tell no one.'

A little spooked by the mysterious nature of the message at first, Gwen wondered who could've sent it to her and if it was an authentic offer. However, she quickly grew to suspect that Chef sent it to her due to his off-placed 'apology' during the wrestling match made him the prime suspect she and wondered whether he really was sorry for helping cheat Gwen out of her million after all. The similar surname could easily be a alias, and a poor one with that, also contributed to the suspicion.

Despite that she should know much better than to following shady instructions off of a mysterious text sent by an unknown, Gwen was curious whether this would lead to something important and set her mind.

* * *

That evening, Gwen made it to the aforementioned hotel, an upper-class one with that, dressed in a raincoat and having her hair wrapped up in a headscarf and went straight to the front desk.

''Good evening, in what room does Mr. Hart stay? He's expecting me.'' She asked the receptionist.

''He has told me as well. He resides at room 55 on the 3rd floor.'' The receptionist informed her, after which Gwen gave an grateful nod and left for the stairs.

After locating the 55th room, Gwen breathed in deeply before knocking on the door. She didn't know if she was going to be pulled into something big or that this was all just part of some prank, but she was ready.

''Come in'' A muffled voice, though distantly familiar to Gwen asked from the other side of the door some seconds after Gwen had knocked. She slowly opened the door and entered just as slowly.

''Took you some time huh? Was it the disguise?'' The owner of the voice asked before Gwen could see to who it belonged to.

''Noah?'' Gwen gasped in surprise as she finally saw him, sitting in a fauteuil and looking the same as the last time Gwen saw him, with the sole notable difference being that Noah has grown a beard.

''That's me.'' He smugly replied before he stood up.

It was a mystery to Gwen why a guy like Noah never enrolled in any posh college or sorts, because what she knew of Noah was that he commonly made guest appearances in TV shows and partook in other reality TV competitions, often with Owen, something that was strange too because this only helped increase Noah's fame, of which Gwen suspected he rather wished to avoid increasing like she did. Gwen had absolutely no clue why he wanted to meet her here under these circumstances.

''What do you want from me- How did you get my number- And what's with all the secrecy?!'' Gwen defensively asked multiple questions at once as she backed away from Noah, though with so many questions for him, she didn't consider to leave before having some of them answered.

''Easy Gwen, all in due time!'' Noah calmed her down, making a soothing gesture before he sat down again. ''But first, were you followed?'' He insistently asked.

''No, and against better judgment, no one even knows I'm here.'' Gwen cynically responded. ''What about you?'' She huffed indignantly.

''I made sure we're untraceable for the paparazzi by growing a beard, getting a fake ID and checking in at this hotel under a false name. As far as the hotel staff knows, we're just people having an affair. Trust me, I've done my homework.'' Noah assured her in his usual lazy tone.

''But why all this secrecy?'' Gwen confusedly asked.

''I'll tell you, sit down.'' He calmly ordered as he sat back in his own chair, and Gwen followed suit by sitting down in the fauteuil opposite of Noah's, but not before removing the uncomfortable headscarf.

''So, we still remember the disaster that was the Total Drama Get-Together finale, right?''

''I'm afraid so.'' Gwen grumbled as she crossed her arms.

''And though there's not a single trace of it to be found in the aired episode, we both know that Chris never told us about the wrestling part.''

''I tried to convince people on my blog that it was a complete snow job, but they wouldn't listen and call me a sore loser or even attention whore.'' Gwen explained before she snorted indignantly.

''It has become a strange world where you out of all people is being accused of being an attention whore.'' Noah sarcastically chuckled.

''Ugh, don't get me started.'' She muttered, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

''Anyway, it's obvious that you're still very angry at the way thing went.'' Noah guessed.

''More than I care to admit, yes.'' Gwen agreed.

''And I found a perfect way to get revenge on him.'' Noah confidently stated. ''But before I tell you what it consists of, you have to agree to break laws and risk serious jail time!'' He cautioned her.

''Hey, I'm all about setting his car on fire or trashing his house if that's what you're aiming at!'' Gwen laughingly responded, though an ominous feeling crept on to her after Noah's warning.

''I aim for something bigger, Gwen.'' Noah responded, unfazed by Gwen's attempt at humor. ''Because I want you to help me commit a heist on Chris's headquarters!''

Noah's announcement slowly sunk in on Gwen. She chuckled as she thought Noah was somewhat joking at first, his serious expression made Gwen realize his proposal was as serious as his looks. ''You're serious?'' She nervously asked for confirmation.

''Dead.'' Noah flatly replied.

''No way. Count me out! I hate Chris, I hate what he pulled on me but I will _not_ risk years in prison to get back at him!'' Gwen declared, sounding progressively more vehement as she stood up and paced through the room while speaking. ''Isn't there something else we can do to him? Something smaller?''

''Gwen, Chris will laugh off any petty act of revenge we try to get on him. And even if we do something that remotely irks him, he'll get his lawyer-legion and sue us for everything we have, up until the clothes we're wearing.'' Noah carefully explained.

''No, we need to get revenge by committing something grand against him, something that will leave a lasting impression and makes him regret that he pulled this crap against us.'' He continued with increasing, though controlled, anger. Finishing with pounding the armrest of his fauteuil once.

''Why would you care so much?'' Gwen suspiciously asked, having calmed down significantly during Noah's explanation.

Noah cocked his head and shrugged briefly. ''Well, in the highly unlikely event that I won that finale, it would've been me who'd be cheated out of a million dollar, that's one of several reasons.'' He humbly explained before he stood up and stretched his arms out. ''So Gwen, what do you say, are you in?'' He warmly, at least as warmly Gwen thought Noah could, offered as he stretched his hand out to her.

''Hold on, I want details on what we're actually robbing him off.'' Gwen coldly demanded.

''It's not that I don't trust you, but for my own safety I can't go into them yet. I can tell you though, that we're going to be stabbing Chris right in the heart… metaphorically speaking.''

''I'm all in favor of stabbing him whatsoever.'' Gwen casually remarked. ''But still…'' She added, sounding much more thoughtful as she started to mull over Noah's offer, once again pacing around the room.

Gwen was seriously in favor of getting revenge on Chris, but she wasn't sure if she was cut out to commit crimes. Of course, she had her rebellious phase during puberty and dated a juvenile delinquent for several years, but she never committed any heinous acts during that phase, nor did she really approve of Duncan's felonious actions, which persisted when they were dating and went on into adulthood.

She was also reluctant to risk having to spend years in jail, not just because she didn't think could bear years of prison life, but she was also afraid of losing the last shed of dignity she had after years of appearing repeatedly humiliating herself on Total Drama in every feasible way possible.

But on top of that, Gwen was also afraid of what her mother would think of her. She has always looked up to her mom and have never wanted to wrong her. How would her mother's life change if her only daughter would disappear behind bars for getting revenge on her nemesis? Gwen was sure it would be a blow to her dignity.

With the drawbacks seriously outweighing the benefits, Gwen had set her mind.

''Sorry Noah, I'd love to get revenge, but I can't risk my life as it is for this.'' Gwen apologetically answered, gently pushing Noah's hand away.

''Your life as it is now? Being a starving artist selling paintings to stupid people who'll never understand them and only buy them because of the kick of buying them from you?'' Noah indignantly huffed, an argument which took Gwen by surprise.

''How do you know that?'' Gwen gasped in surprise.

''You post more emotions on your blog than you let on at first glance.'' Noah smugly told her.

''Stalker.'' Gwen sniped before she was about to leave.

''Gwen, don't forget that only we're doing this only for revenge, but for the take as well.'' Noah reminded her, which made her stop in her tracks right before she was to leave the room.

''The… 'take'?'' Gwen confusedly repeated, slowly turning her head to Noah.

''Of course. It's not a proper heist if you don't take any loot! You didn't win the million dollar, but if you join in on this, and considering everything goes right, you'll get tenfold! At least!'' Noah suavely assured her. ''Isn't that reason enough to reconsider?''

Having completely forgotten about the financial gain, Gwen began to reconsider her choice. She didn't know if it was the result of Noah's manipulation -something he was known to be skilled at if he found it necessary- or not, but Gwen slowly began to realize that she loathed the life she was stuck in, where she'd constantly have to beg to get by and have her art sold for reasons she didn't want to sell it for. She was still well aware of the risks and the drawbacks, but her greed and the wish to improve her life greatly tipped the scales in favor of accepting.

''Noah…'' Gwen said as she turned to him. ''Count me in!'' She confidently answered before she shook Noah's hand.

''Excellent!'' Noah contently replied, looking genuinely happy that Gwen had taken up on his offer. ''Go home and act as if this meeting has never taken place. Don't come back to this hotel and especially don't talk about it with others!'' Noah instructed her as they let go off of each other's hands.

''You got it!'' Gwen casually replied.

''I'll message you in a few days about where to meet up with me and what to do next!'' Noah added before she opened the door and left.

Only after leaving the hotel did Gwen fully begin to feel the rush of what she agreed to. She had accepted a chance to get back at Chris, not just for what he did to her during the Total Drama Get-Together finale, but for everything he pulled against her over her entire run on Total Drama. She was so thrilled at this, that she completely forgot to ask how Noah got her phone number, but that was a question to be asked for another time.

* * *

 **Whew! That felt good!**

 **I don't know what took me 8 months to write this chapter! Really, I needed 7 and a half months for the first 800 words, while I pretty much wrote the rest over the past week! My productivity sure is all over the place, but I made it a goal to improve that (As always)!**

 **But enough about me, did you readers like this new story? I hope you do because Applauze and I had a great time conceptualizing and planning it!**

 **Until next update!**

 **:D,**

 **L.W.**


	2. Complications

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **Sweet relief not having to wait 8 months for the next update huh?**

 **Don't mind me, but I left this here just so you can cringe at the irony of it as well!**

 **Let's listen to the co-writer first!**

 **Applauze: Hey guys! I just want to say that it was never out intention to wait this long for an update. But life got in the way and we was unable to come back together on this until now. I'm very excited about everything that me and Warrior has planned for the story and I can't wait for you guys to see it. Now I don't mean to take away from my co-author, but as of now, this is the only story I will be working on. I know you all want me to come back to my other works, but so much happened last year that has made me reluctant to return to them, but for now, please enjoy our work on this since we have so much more that will be appending and this is just the tip of the iceberg!**

 **So, do any of you actually still _remember_ this story? If not, then at least you haven't missed much! Anyhow, I hope that both the old readers and new ones alike will continue to enjoy it!**

 **Rated T as per usual for me.**

 **Now, let's see if the story can be updated at a more... sensible pace again!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Complications**

* * *

Mere days after, Gwen had all but forgotten her meeting with Noah. The ample excitement of the accepted opportunity had died down, and the initially small amount of nervousness took its place as Gwen began to fully realize the high risk she was taking. One little mistake could compromise the entire plan and put her behind bars, and that felt even worse as Gwen had little understanding and –obviously- even less experience about how to carry out a heist. More than a few times had Gwen regretted her choice, and she wanted to call Noah off, but she didn't have his number nor even knew where he lived in the first place.

In a feeble attempt to curb the anxiety or at least get her mind off of it, Gwen had decided to leave Sudbury and head for Toronto to visit her long-time friend Leshawna for a few days.

Sure, Gwen and Leshawna have been the best of friends for a long time, but that isn't to say that it has always clicked just as good between the two. Gwen drove her away after cheating on Courtney because Leshawna found it low of Gwen to do such a thing. On the other hand, Leshawna had a habit of badmouthing her friends, and Gwen has fallen victim to Leshawna's gossip. Despite a few years of cold relations, Leshawna was someone that Gwen could always turn to when in need.

Right now, they were spray-painting a wall in a north-Toronto alley on a clear evening. The few rays of sunlight the setting September sun that could reach the secluded alley provided a warm natural light for the girls to work with.

Dropping her spray can, Gwen stepped back and admired her own work. ''How does this look?'' She hopefully asked Leshawna, who briefly stopped and eyed Gwen's work, a mural that was remarkably cheerful for Gwen's doing, and even featured –moderately- happy people who looked like they were trying to achieve their goals.

''Encouraging, yet cheerful. Those are things this hood needs!'' Leshawna contently remarked.

''Like how we need walls declared legal to spray it on.'' Gwen calmly quipped. ''Really, I love to do this with you, but sometimes the idea of getting caught seriously kills the joy.''

''Don't you worry about a thing. The police have worse things to deal with here than a few taggers who only want to make the neighborhood look a little prettier.'' Leshawna explained as she added the finishing touches to her 'art'. Her answer unnerved Gwen a little more as she looked around, eyeing the many housing projects in the neighborhood. ''You're not afraid aren't you? Because Shawnie's rep will keep us both safe!'' She playfully assured Gwen after noticing her nervousness.

Truth to be told, Gwen didn't mean to be rude to anyone, but she indeed was slightly afraid every time she wanted to visit Leshawna because the latter didn't live in the best place one could live Toronto. Quite contrary, Leshawna was born and raised in Lawrence Heights, a neighborhood that didn't bear the moniker 'The Jungle' for nothing.

It was actually pretty weird that Leshawna still lived there, because Gwen thought that Leshawna should've made enough money by now to move out, and Gwen realized that she never inquired why that was so.

''But if it's such a crime-infested place, why do you still live here?'' Gwen cautiously asked, knowing that the way she said it could possibly insult Leshawna a little.

''Because I need to stay close to my peeps if I ever want to help them out of here. That's what I wanted to do since we met on camp and that's what I'll keep on doing.'' Leshawna answered as she stuffed her spray cans in a duffel bag.

''But why live here when you can live in Forest hill, you know, the upper-class neighborhoods?''

''Girl, I can say I want to help people less fortunate than me, but if I live in a house the size of their entire apartment building with luxury they can't even start to imagine, I'd look like some 90's gangsta rapper who says he does it for the people but only gives a flying crap about how it makes him look!'' Leshawna sassily responded, which made Gwen giggle as they left the alley.

''But still, is pursuing your dream worth the risk of living here?''

''Someone just needs to take risks to achieve what you want!'' Leshawna conclusively answered. An answer which got Gwen thinking.

''Speaking of risks, can I ask you for your advice?''

''Always Gwen!'' She warmly responded.

Gwen sighed deeply in preparation for her big question. She knew Noah would chastise her for possibly compromising the entire operation, but she desperately needed the advice. She briefly thought of a fake story and started telling. ''Some time ago, this person has wronged me really bad by practically stealing what I deserved.''

''Is it Chris?'' Leshawna casually interrupted, the suddenness and the fact that Gwen was indeed stealthily referring to him startled greatly, worrying that she wasn't subtle enough.

''No! No!'' Gwen hastily denied in a panic, which was something she hoped to avoid showing. Luckily for her, Leshawna noticed Gwen's behavior, but she didn't give it much of a second thought beyond a raised eyebrow.

''Someone owns a gallery and he weaseled me out of a series of paintings I gave them without paying me my royalties, saying that they belonged to them.'' Gwen continued explaining, regaining her cool again.

''It's a sad world when even art galleries con you out of your money.'' Leshawna noted.

''Well, after everything, I don't really care for the money as much as I just don't want to sit passively and let them get away with it!''

''What are you thinking of?'' Leshawna asked, faintly eager to hear about it.

''Now that's the problem! I don't know because I don't know how far I can go to get back at them!'' Gwen replied before a short dejected sigh. ''I thought about vandalizing the gallery, smashing a few things, spray painting all over the place, but, but... How far are you allowed to go to get back at someone?'' She doubtingly asked as she idly juggled a spray can in a subconscious attempt to calm her nerves.

''Now now Gwen, revenge isn't always the answer.'' Leshawna lectured in a pretty motherly fashion, twirling a finger around.

The answer made Gwen chuckle, for she knew what Leshawna could be like concerning getting back on others. ''That's not the Leshawna I remember! She used to chase Heather all over camp Wawanakwa for the littlest of things!'' She humouredly replied.

''Maybe, maybe, but there were certain standards I abided to when I was going through my vengeful state! First of all, I only aimed to get back at the one who deserved it. No innocents involved.'' Leshawna started explaining, almost as if revenge was her profession. ''Second, Don't forget to only get back at people if it teaches them something. There's no need to get all crazy if they just shrug it off and continue to live happily ever after. And it's also important to know your limits. Don't burn someone's house down over a accidentally spilled soda.'' She conclusively explained while Gwen thoughtfully listened.

''Really Gwen, I may have let myself get too controlled by my will to set things straight with other people, don't make the same mistake. Only go through with this if you really must.'' Leshawna cautioned Gwen as she stopped walking and placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder. Gwen herself eyed Leshawna, taken aback by the concern in her expression. ''Like how there was once this guy from South Africa, Ruud Vermaak was his name. In the 80's he made millions over the back of slave miners and avoided justice! It makes me so mad every time I think of crooks like him avoiding their comeuppance!'' Leshawna told, showing faint traces of leftover frustration. ''But I figured it's not worth it to get worked up over someone you can't get back at yourself, and I've lived a happy life ever since!''

''You know what? Maybe it's better if I just think of something else than trashing the place. It's not worth the trouble I'll get into.'' Gwen admitted after hearing Leshawna out.

''That's my girl!'' Leshawna smiled as she briefly embraced Gwen.

''Thanks Shawnie!'' Gwen warmly said as she pulled away.

Leshawna loved to help other people make the right decision, she always did. Because of that, she has been a volunteer at the local community center for years and remained in these neighborhoods, even when there have been lots of opportunities to move elsewhere, somewhere arguably better. Because there are always people around where she lives now that need a helping hand in their life and their life choices.

''Now let's go home quickly, even Shawnie isn't fully safe for these streets at these hours.'' Leshawna said as Gwen was deep in thought about what advice Leshawna had given her.

* * *

During the remainder of the night, Gwen would weigh off Leshawna's insight against the situation she was considering to get herself in. She then began to think about Leshawna's advice and whether it applied to her situation. Chris had to regret ever setting her up, and she was convinced that by robbing him of millions of dollars, that he would mourn his decision and that it was an appropriate act of revenge to punish him. She was also convinced that there'd be no direct victims of the robbery other than Chris, which was also a plus for Gwen.

But then she thought about Leshawna's last and definitely most heartfelt advice not get carried away.

Gwen was genuinely moved by Leshawna's concern for her, and only because of that care that not many people other than her family have given Gwen through these recent, turbulent years was had she decided against robbing Chris and letting the desire to rob him slide...

But even if she wanted it to, the desire didn't go away.

In her mind, images of Chris pompously standing over her laying in the dust from the last time they met wouldn't leave. His devious smile constantly haunted her memory, and fantasies of the host laughing at her misfortune and wasting her million dollar didn't fade away. She knew that she'd put Leshawna's genuine concern to shame, but the urge for revenge was just too great to deny.

With that, Gwen had made up her mind. No longer was she going to be let Chris demean and humiliate her with him getting away. If it wasn't for her, then she'd do it for everyone else who was and would be exposed to the same treatment.

But little did she know that the fake art story would actually lead to a hidden treasure further down the road. Yet, she didn't know that at the moment. All she knew was that she was about to take a risky visit to Noah that could either help her with her revenge or ruin all that she wanted to do.

* * *

About a week later, Gwen had arrived in Vancouver by plane, disguised like before as per Noah's instruction. She was also advised by him to think of a reason to travel to Vancouver as to not make people close to her suspicious. Gwen didn't need long to think of one, but she still felt bad having to lie to her mother like that.

She walked out of the main terminal when she remembered that while Noah had instructed her to fly to Vancouver, she didn't have a clue where to go next. As if her thoughts were being read, she was being called, recognizing the number to be Noah's. The perfect timing of the call both amazed and unnerved Gwen a little bit.

Putting the single suitcase she was traveling with down beside her, she picked up.

''Hello?''

''Gwen.'' Noah greeted deadpan.

''Good morning to you too.'' Gwen replied, a little annoyed by Noah's almost eternal stupor. ''So I just stepped off the plane.''

''Yeah I know, we checked the arrivals.'' Noah responded immediately after, keeping Gwen from saying more if she was going to.

''And now what? Should I ta- did you say _we_ checked the arrivals?'' Gwen suspiciously asked, needing a few seconds to realize what Noah said.

''Fetch a cab and go to Starr Drive, beige apartment building to the south, can't miss it. Ring the bell of the Dasari residence three short times, and I'll let you in. Don't come if you think you're followed.'' Noah continued, ignoring Gwen's question.

''Now hold on, who's the other person?'' Gwen angrily demanded.

''Starr Drive, Gwen, see you then.'' Noah insistently repeated before he suddenly hung up, giving Gwen no chance to reply at all.

Irritated at how she was treated, Gwen pocketed her phone and went on to look for a taxi. As she was grumbling about the conversation, and only then was Gwen slowly beginning to wonder again how Noah got her number in the first place as he never got around answering that question when they first met. She made a mental note to ask him the first chance she got. The thought was unnerving her though: After all, if he knew her personal phone number, what else did Noah know?

During the taxi ride, Gwen also tried to figure out who the other person Noah so briefly mentioned could be, she was so deep in thought that she forgot to look at the breathtaking sight of Vancouver in the October sunrise, one that would definitely make a great painting.

She considered everything and anything, but Gwen couldn't even bring up a reasonable suspicion on the identity of the mystery person and choose to put up with it until Noah revealed him or her himself. Though she wasn't sure whether it was her increasing paranoia on the subject or not, Gwen felt as if a lot of unpleasant surprises were waiting for her today.

* * *

The taxi reached its destination faster than Gwen thought it would and she approached the beige apartment building Noah mentioned. It was a considerably tall and rather upscale in a equally nice neighborhood. Gwen figured that Noah paid -or at least rented it- for it with all the money he made from his TV appearances.

After searching the intercom, Gwen found the name plate reading Dasari among the 18th floor residents and rung its bell 3 times. Seconds after, a bell buzzed and the door unlocked. She took the elevator up and once on the 18th, a door was opened. She walked through only to step into a reasonably luxurious apartment, where Gwen was greeted by the sight of Noah nonchalantly lounging on a couch, eating finishing a simple breakfast in front of the television.

''Enjoying yourself I see?'' Gwen flatly asked, faintly disgusted by Noah's somewhat tasteless manners.

''I was, but then you called me out for it, and now I feel bad about my habits.'' Noah flatly replied before he positioned himself upright. ''So, were you-''

''No, I talk first!'' Gwen almost immediately interrupted, not fazing Noah much, again. ''First, I want to know how you got my phone number, and who the second person was you were talking about!'' Gwen demanded shortly before they could both hear someone opening a door in Noah's apartment.

''Both answers will be answered if you turn around.'' Noah smugly answered, Gwen thinking that he himself to be funny.

Even still, Gwen turned her head to see a person walking through Noah's kitchen, dressed in only a towel and apparently just coming out of the shower, said person was not yet aware of her presence.

Cody.

''Hey Cody, would you mind? I prepare food there!'' Noah complainingly told him.

''I just need some –oh!'' Cody said, greatly startled when he noticed Gwen was there too. He recoiling towards the wall and as far as Gwen and Noah could see his towel fell down, only for the counters to save his modesty. ''Hi Gwen! How are you hanging?'' Cody asked, obviously trying to play cool as he subtly tried to wrap the towel around himself.

Completely speechless, Cody was the last person Gwen expected to join in on this. He thought of him as too nice, wimpy and law-abiding and the last time she heard something about him was that he had a great job at the social media website Facemag too, so as far as she knew, money wouldn't be an incentive for him to join Noah. And if someone like Cody was willing to join, then what other people, nicer or meaner would do too?

''Uhm, I'm doing decent.'' Gwen humbly answered after a moment, not feeling like going into details to him.

''Okay Cody, if you go dress up then we can get started!''

When Cody had left the room, Gwen threateningly inched closer to Noah. ''What is he doing here?!'' Gwen hissed.

''He stayed the night, because it's a hell of a drive from here to Kamloops.'' Noah nonchalantly answered. ''And no, we slept in separate rooms.'' He grouchily added as Gwen shot him a stupefied look.

''No, I meant why did you get him involved in this?''

''I need a skilled hacker.'' Noah admitted, which Gwen found odd because Noah didn't strike her as someone who'd admit he _needed_ someone else. Not only that, but Gwen did know that Noah is a able hacker himself.

''Haven't you hacked computers before?'' She asked with a raised eyebrow.

''Yes, but I think the challenges we are going to face are a little harder than fork-bombing a poorly secured church website.'' Noah answered, finishing with a slight chuckle. ''Besides, I'll be more of the on-site hacker while Cody does the big work from the comfort of a lazy chair.'' He added.

''Sure.'' Gwen reluctantly agreed, lightly shaking her head. ''So how we are going to do this? Run into his office and hold him at gunpoint?'' She subsequently asked.

Gwen noted that both Cody and Noah mentally prepared themselves to say something, and she got a little unnerved by that. ''Yeah, the thing is; robbing the Total Drama headquarters is a undertaking that requires some... _practice_.'' Noah remarked, subtle but coolly.

''Practice? How-'' Gwen suspiciously asked, not liking the sound of it.

''Simple, we commit a few heists to do up experience for the big one!'' Noah casually stated.

''What?!'' Gwen shouted as she violently threw her arms up. ''No- No! That is not what I agreed to! You said one heist! _One_!'' Gwen angrily spat, making Cody flinch in fright at her sudden outburst. ''I only agreed to because we'd only have Chris with it, and now you want me to rob people who have nothing to do with it instead and you just call that _practice_?! No way, I'm out!'' Gwen ranted as she picked up her suitcase.

''You're not. You agreed to this, there's no way back!'' Noah angrily reminded her.

''Just watch me!'' Gwen venomously responded as she was about to stomp out of Noah's home.

''Wait!'' Noah called after her as Gwen had her hand on the doorknob already. ''Look,'' Noah began as he rose from the couch. ''I know I haven't been honest with you with the whole thing. But, but let's say you get to pick our first target to make up for it a little. How does that sound?'' He offered as he walked up to Gwen.

''How is that any better for me?'' Gwen distrustfully asked.

''You choose our targets, our victims. Whoever you think won't suffer much.'' He explained.

Not really understanding how it benefits her but subconsciously curious who he had targeted, Gwen relented. ''Fine. Show me.''

''Cody, if you please.'' Noah requested, and Cody got several photos from his pocket and attached them to a whiteboard hanging in Noah's kitchen. Gwen saw that the photos were of a classy store, a money transport and a walled mansion.

''Our candidate targets are a jewelry store named Gschwendtners, who's located here in the city's main street, a money transport that's doing it weekly routes or we rob a millionaire called Ruud Vermaak living here in the suburbs. For our big heist, we-'' Cody explained as Gwen's eyes widened when he named the last option.

''Ruud Vermaak?'' Gwen interrupted Noah, surprised.

''Yes. What's up with him?'' Cody asked, slightly puzzled.

''I've heard things about him. He dealt in blood diamonds but got away with it.'' Gwen said.

''That's how the story goes yes.'' Noah confirmed.

While she was still very much against the idea of robbing other targets than the Total Drama headquarters, she did realize that without valuable experience they wouldn't get far doing so. With Vermaak the diamond dealer as a possible target, Gwen saw a chance to learn, but also do a service to her long-time friend Leshawna and perhaps many other people too.

''Then I want to rob _him_!'' Gwen decided, resolutely pointing at the photo of the walled mansion.

''Good choice!'' Noah calmly, though sincerely complimented her before removed the other two photos and tearing them up. ''Now, we got a target, let's introduce you to our team.''

''A team? You mean more people than this?'' Gwen asked rather surprised.

''Get used to the idea, we need a few more pairs of hands for what we're going to undertake Gwen. I thought you'd get that too.'' Noah chidingly, though calmly responded as Gwen got angry again because she was lied to for the second time in a matter of minutes. How many more twists was Noah going to pull out of his sleeve?

''Aside from you, Cody and I have been searching for some of our old _friends_ on the web who also haven't been living a peachy life after Total Drama! I thought it'd be a good move to unite them with our collective hatred of Chris! On top of that, that way we can know for certain we work with people we know!'' Noah started explaining.

''Yeah, that makes sense.'' Gwen agreed as Cody attached a new series of photos to the whiteboard.

''And to make a good crew, we tried to look for a balance with the possible candidates' skills, such as a skilled driver, maybe another set of brains and someone who would do nicely on crowd control!'' Noah started to explain as Gwen shuddered slightly as Noah finished.

''Who are the options?'' Gwen asked just as Cody had attached the photos to the whiteboard. Gwen's eyes went wide with terror when she saw of who one ofthe photos was, someone she didn't expect even less so than Cody to agree to this.

''Well, we have several for the gunners. But for the drivers? Only him really.'' Noah remarked as he pointed at said photo, acting indifferent to Gwen's shock.

''Geoff? What happened to him that he agreed to this?'' Gwen asked in shock as she took Geoff's photo and looked at it, noting that while Geoff still had that typical smile, it seemed to be insincere or hiding something.

''Geoff here partied a little too hard in college, flunked badly and wasted all his money. On top of that, Bridgette dumped him a few years back. Now he barely gets by as a trucker.'' Noah indifferently explained.

''Oh my.'' Gwen whimpered, briefly fighting tears as she felt sorry for Geoff's misfortune, feeling that he, the living embodiment of joie de vivre, didn't deserve it.

''He's our best and only choice, unless you have another suggestion.'' Noah stated.

Gwen felt conflicted, at one side she was happy that Geoff was given a shot at this, a shot for a good life he should be deserves, but not with the way how. 'No, he'll do.'' Gwen reluctantly agreed.

''Now, for our gunner we have two options, one of them is Duncan!'' Noah announced, not giving Gwen a moment to recover from the previous unpleasant surprise before being tumbled into the next.

''Really?!'' Gwen sneered in annoyance, not wanting to see Duncan again, work with him or hear how he ended up being a candidate gunman.

''Yes, really.'' Noah deadpanned. ''Duncan here went from a rebellious youth to a rebellious two-bit crook, and from a two-bit crook with a mile long rep sheet with the latest addition being armed robbery. But hey, you still got to pay the bills when no one wants to hire you.''

''That's exactly why I broke up with him. Being rebellious is something different than being an actual criminal.'' Gwen sourly pointed out as she eyed Scott's photograph, who's face looked more gaunt and unhealthy in general since the last time she's seen him. ''Why him?'' Gwen asked, unimpressed.

''Apparently, our friend Scott here went into the meth business after Total Drama to make ends meet.'' Noah explained. ''And probably to feed his own budding addiction too.'' He cynically added. ''But the overall expiration dates in that business aren't that good, and Scott has survived this long, so he's got to at least know from which end of the gun the bullets come.'' He concluded, sounding a little more professional again.

''Unfortunately, tweakers aren't known for their reliability.'' Gwen grumbled, crossing her arms.

''That's what we thought too.'' Noah agreed. ''Yet, given your history with your ex, we wanted to give you a choice who you think would be better.''

''So you're asking me to choose between my ex and a meth addict?'' Gwen angrily asked, not pleased with the conundrum she was burdened with.

On one hand, Gwen did not want to see Duncan again, especially under these circumstances similar to why she cut all contact with him. But then again, she knew better than to choose a unreliable drug user as a member over one she could still reasonably trust with matters like these, even if she didn't feel comfortable in the slightest about it.

''Then I say that choosing Duncan would be _perfect_.'' Gwen decided, after which Noah quickly removed every photograph from the whiteboard that wasn't of Duncan, Geoff or the target and put them on the kitchen counter.

''So we have a team, and we have a target!'' Noah declared, though his content smile was in sharp contrast to Gwen's concerned look. ''Now, if we-''

''If I may,'' Cody suddenly interrupted, reminding Gwen and Noah of his presence. ''But can I recommend someone who I think would go _great_ with our team?'' He requested before he searched the pile of discarded photos until he found the one he was looking for.

''Who? The way I see it we're good to go.'' Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

''Scarlett!'' Cody announced, showing them the photo depicting her, mildly surprising both Gwen and Noah.

''Scarlett?! Why Scarlett?'' Gwen exclaimed.

''I second that, what?'' Noah agreeably replied.

''Didn't she hold the show _hostage_ and threatened dead-seriously to blow up the island?'' Gwen asked, rather appalled.

''Well, yeah-'' Cody stammered, aware that he needed good reasons to sway them. ''That's true, but rumor has it that she had lighted up very much in prison! Apparently she had a really good bond with her shrink!'' He stated.

''And _why_ would she be an asset?'' Noah asked, not convinced so far.

''Because of her intellect of course! Unfortunately, Total Drama completely ruined her reputation and she hasn't been able to get into _any_ university!'' Cody pointed out, which got Noah thinking.

''And for good measure too! No dean would want to see their campus taken hostage!'' Gwen coldly replied.

''Yet, I think Cody has a good point with her intellect being of value. After all, four know better than three. On top of that, she's got a solid reason to join so I'd say she's in!'' Noah declared, raising his hand and immediately turning the conversation into a vote.

''We can't take a loose cannon like her in! I vote no!'' Gwen protested.

''I vote yes!'' Cody chirped, raising his arm.

''Then that's settled! Cody, send her a message, send _everyone_ a message!'' Noah ordered with a slight smile.

''On it!'' Cody chirped before he darted off, leaving Gwen and Noah behind in the kitchen.

''I hope you know what you're doing with involving Scarlett in all this, Noah.'' Gwen ominously told him as they walked into the living area.

''I am.'' Noah calmly assured her as they sat down. ''Scarlett was _humiliated_ by Chris. Have you seen her prosecution back then? It was a fucking _show_ _trial_ and it wouldn't surprise me if Chris pulled some strings to make it that way. She has more than a few reasons to get back at him, and that's what will keep her in check, even if the rumors of her therapy aren't true.''

Gwen then remembered she still wasn't provided a satisfying answer to a question she _long_ wanted answered. ''Speaking of which, how do you and Cody know what our lives are like? How did you get everyone's phone number, how did you get _my_ phone number?''

''Cody was a mod for Facemag before it crashed on the stock market _and_ the web! Though the site may've gone dark, he still has access to the servers and everyone's personal data! That's one of the reasons I never conformed to social media!'' Noah explained, followed by a callous chuckle as if he was laughing at the people who did.

For the umpteenth time, Gwen was shocked. So apparently, Cody has made his favorite pastime stalking into his career. It shouldn't had surprised Gwen since Cody could hack just about anything. He may've lost his job, but he probably earned a small fortune working for Facemag, so why would he be helping Noah out to rob Chris? Cody was the last person she would ever expect to be that way, but than again, she hadn't expected pretty much anyone else involved to be that way too.

It was as if everything she had known about everyone was just an illusion. Gwen even had trouble understanding whether she was herself in all of this.

* * *

 **Well, was that worth waiting 14 months for? I sure hope it was!**

 **No seriously, sorry again for not updating it but around the time when I first posted it, it was a bit of a event-heavy time for me and after that I... Uh, _sorta_ forgot about it!**

 **Even so, I hope to see you at the next update, where we'll see how the plans unfold and the people reunite!**

 **:D,**

 **L.W and Applauze.**


	3. Stakeout

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **Just to prove that the next chapter won't take fourteen months!**

 **No, like two months is acceptable...**

 **Applauze: I do hope it will be a pleasure yes!**

 **Joel Connell: You have so many questions and I love it! It's too bad I can't really spoil anything... unless you had an account and shot me a PM! :P**

 **Guest: I bet it isn't, but is this soon enough? :D**

 **Great Idea Alert: I got that all covered, but thank you for your ideas anyway!**

 **Now, let's move on the real star of this update; Me!- I mean the chapter itself!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Stakeout**

* * *

After they had chosen a target to rob, Gwen would expect to have at least a moment of peace to let it all sink in. But Noah had other plans. He ordered her to get her 'disguise' on again as he disappeared into his own bedroom while Cody went outside onto the balcony to type away on his laptop.

Gwen looked in the mirror as she struggled to properly hide her hair under the headscarf when she noted my own doubting expression and a reluctant force pulling at her, and she wondered why would she felt like that. She _wanted_ to do this, she understood that it was necessary and it's not like they were going to raid an orphanage or something. Yet, she was wavering.

She also felt and looked like this when she left for Total Drama Island ten years. Gwen didn't really know what she was getting myself into, she didn't know what to expect beyond the usual cheesy, gaudy reality TV fare. Then she noted the similarity between then and now, and she figured that maybe it wasn't doubt but merely a certain fear of the unknown, and it was hard for Gwen to choose whether that was a good thing or not.

Despite being so lost in her own doubt, she heard the door open up to the room Noah disappeared in and to Gwen's surprise, looked vastly different than how she knew him.

Like herself, Noah had concealed his hair. Though contrary to Gwen's simple headscarf, Noah had hidden it away under a turban. This, coupled with the beard he had grown, made Noah difficult to recognize. The combination of a beard and a turban evoked a certain religious image to Gwen, and while she had to admit that Noah did a great job making himself unrecognizable, she had to admit that he looked a little silly on him as well. Yet, before she was able to ask anything regarding his choice of disguise, he immediately walked over to Cody and briefly disappeared from her sight, leaving Gwen behind.

''Is everything ready?'' She could hear Noah ask.

''Oh yes! The drone, the transmitter, everything!'' Cody confirmed as Gwen could see him nod his head.

''Cool. You know the drill, gain altitude and follow us!'' Noah ordered before he walked back.

''Come on, let's go!'' He casually ordered Gwen before they left the apartment.

''A turban?'' Gwen flatly asked as they walked down the stairs, finally having a moment.

''Part of my disguise as a Sikh.'' Noah clarified. [1]

''So _that's_ why you grew a beard.'' Gwen said as she now understood why Noah's disguise gave off a religious vibe.

''I won't stand out between the _many_ other Sikhs here in Vancouver and that means I'm able to blend in perfectly.'' Noah explained with a confident grin. ''Though it's almost not worth the effort of tying this monster.'' He added, lightly touching his turban.

''That's not incognito Noah, that's looking conspicuously inconspicuous.'' Gwen noted.

''No, like you _didn't_ dress as if you came straight out of a corny 1960's spy flick.'' Noah retorted before they reached the underground parking lot of the apartment complex. Noah unlocked a pretty nondescript car from a distance, and after a quick glance at the license plate, Gwen noted that it was a rental car.

''A rental car? Is yours in the shop or something?'' She asked as they entered, with Noah behind the wheel.

''No, this rental car is also part of the facade.'' Noah answered before he fastened his seatbelt. ''This car is rented by me under the name Harjit Singh; A recently converted and initiated Sikh.''

''Yet, you live in your apartment under your real name.'' Gwen noted.

''Maybe so, but under this guise I'm indistinguishable from the other Sikhs living in this apartment building because, like I just said, there are many of them living in Vancouver.'' Noah explained before he turned the ignition on.

Noah then got his phone and dialed Cody's number before putting it on speaker mode and putting it down next to him.

''Hey Cody, we're about to leave for the mansion!'' Noah told him before he backed up and drove out of the underground parking garage.

''Roger!'' Cody responded as Noah drove out of the parking lot.

''You really thought this out don't you?'' Gwen casually asked as they drove onto an avenue.

''I _have to_ Gwen. Don't forget I'm also a popular TV show personality and if I don't separate my plans and my... 'Career', then I'm sure to be caught. That's why I slowly went quiet after we agreed to do this and only occasionally posted small things on my media outlets to avoid having to deal with rumors and press hounds wondering where I have gone.'' Noah pointed out. ''What did you think of?''

''I told my mom I'd attend an art show here. That's it.'' Gwen humbly answered, still marveled by how complicated Noah's alias was. Noah himself shot her a unimpressed glare as Gwen herself also got slightly embarrassed at how her shallow facade paled in comparison to Noah's. But she quickly reminded herself that as she wasn't a decently popular celebrity like Noah, she simply didn't need a complicated alias.

''Simple.'' Noah said, albeit clearly mockingly.

''Well, there _is_ actually an art show here. So unlike your alias mine's based on the truth.'' Gwen sourly requited.

''The truth accounts for little anymore these days Gwen. If it still did. We wouldn't have to resort to this big undertaking.'' Noah pointed out, cynical at life itself. The two remained quiet for a short time afterwards, during which Gwen thought over what Noah just said, and somewhat reluctantly had to agree with his vision.

''You know Noah, it's kind of a odd choice to dress up as a Sikh because I never took you for a religious type.'' Gwen noted a short while later after her mind had trailed off.

''That's because I'm absolutely _not_. If I had to choose a religion, I'd pick Pastafarianism and then purely to piss off my Christian parents.'' Noah answered, followed by a short chuckle.

''That does explain the distinctively biblical name.'' Gwen remarked with a smirk.

''My cousin Dave's family has it worse.''

* * *

Sooner than Gwen expected, they were driving through a affluent neighborhood full of walled estates and she expected the villa in question to be close by. Her predictions proved to be true as Noah pulled over opposite a mansion that didn't stand out from the rest of the neighborhood aside from its even more prominent wall.

''Here we are.'' Noah told Gwen as he pointed at said estate and shut off the car. ''Cody, are you above the target?''

''Roger! I have a clear view!'' Cody answered.

''Good. Snap a few pictures and return, we will do the same.'' Noah ordered before he picked up his phone and ended the call before he handed Gwen the phone.

''Pretend to just idly fiddle with my phone while taking photographs of every little thing.'' Noah insistently explained. ''I'm taking a look at the engine to pretend that we're having car troubles.''

''Why do _I_ have to stay in the car?'' Gwen asked, slightly indignant.

''Because it'd look more notable if a woman was to check it while the guy stayed in the car.''

''100 years of woman's emancipation and you say a thing like that.'' Gwen calmly scolded him.

''Yet, it's true.''

''I guess.'' She muttered, rolling her eyes as Noah left the car and lifted the hood and Gwen turned her focus to the other end of the street, the smartphone's camera ready.

Gwen inspected the house at the other end of the street and snapped some photos of the estate itself, the parts visible to her at least, and its elements like windows and the front gate. She then spotted a security camera and thought it'd be a good idea to photograph all the cameras she saw of which, she quickly figured after briefly looking around, were quite a few. However, beyond all that, there was nothing worth photographing. Knowing that their stakeout would last for a little while, Gwen breathed a annoyed sigh at the boredom she expected.

But moments later, she was surprisingly contradicted when a white van pulled up at the front gate and waited in front of an intercom, noting the logo of a deli on the side. Immediately, she snapped a dozen photos of the van as the gate opened and what looked like a security guard came out as the van drove in.

She was completely taken by surprise when the guard looked their way. Gwen flinched as she feared that the guard may've noticed that she was taking photographs, and her suspicions were further fortified when the guard walked over to them at a intimidatingly quick pace.

Rapidly, Gwen shut the camera off and opened the web browser in a attempt to cover her tracks. But couldn't help but quietly gasp when the guard knocked on the window.

''What do you think you're doing?'' The bulky guard angrily asked Gwen.

''Waiting.'' Gwen answered, relieved to hear herself sounding rather plain despite her nerves.

''For what?'' The guard barked.

''The engine is malfunctioning!'' Noah stated as he rushed over to them, his voice sounding slightly deeper as it became clear to Gwen that he had trained to use a different voice as well. ''We were going to an appointment at the gallery when suddenly it didn't shift anymore!'' He added.

''Really?'' The guard distrustfully replied before they disappeared behind the hood, from Gwen's view. ''Let me see.'' Was the last thing she could hear before she got lost in her own thoughts.

Usually, Gwen would never get stressed when a intimidating stranger bothered her, but this was different. This time, she was sure the guard saw her snapping pictures of the van, and was afraid that she would have blown the whole plan so early only to a security guard.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw the hood being slammed shut again by both Noah.

''Thanks!'' Noah told him.

''Yeah don't mention it. Just get out of here!'' He demanded as he slowly walked back to the villa.

''Certainly!'' Noah submissively assured him before he went back into the car. It remained quiet between the two as Noah briefly rubbed his scalp with his hands before turning the ignition back on. A tense silence persisted between the two as they went home. A few blocks later, Noah had to stop for a traffic light and breathed a subtly annoyed sighed.

''What did you do.'' He flatly, yet clearly accusingly, finally breaking the silence.

''I only did what you asked from me! Snapping photos!'' She retorted, still shaking a little.

''With the subtlety of a Las Vegas neon sign I guess?'' He berated her.

''Well excuse me for not having any experience in this field of work!'' Gwen cynically snapped back, violently turning her head towards him.

Noah, not wanting to start a conflict, sighed and rubbed his face. ''Look- Forget about that. Have you got any good pics?'' He calmly asked before Gwen browsed the gallery.

''Of the cameras, some windows, and the van.'' Gwen stated.

''Good, that should do. Send them to Cody.'' He instructed her.

''I hope. Because I don't think I can do this again!'' Gwen staunchly declared, shaking her head a few times as she did what she was told. ''How did you fake the engine trouble?'' Gwen asked, purely to lighten the atmosphere... and perhaps to get her mind off of her trembling nerves.

''I lightly screwed out a wire to make it look like something that could've happened while driving.'' Noah briefly explained as they were already nearing Noah's apartment. ''Let's see if Cody has found anything good.''

* * *

After what felt like a long time, Gwen sauntered back into Noah's apartment and was actually happy to be within the relative safety of its four walls. Immediately, she noted Cody sitting in the living room, working on a laptop with the drone parked on the coffee table.

''What have you seen?'' Noah immediately asked as he walked over to Cody while Gwen stayed behind in the kitchen and leaned on the counter.

''Just a moment, I'm still converting the files for optimal quality!'' Cody replied, focused on his screen.

''Hey, do you have wine or anything? I need a drink.'' Gwen asked Noah somewhat indecently, not feeling like it to be polite.

''Sorry. Teetotaller. But help yourself to whatever's inside.'' Noah shrugged. Gwen groaned and rolled her eyes before diving into Noah's fridge.

Cody uploaded the photos to Noah's TV to clearly display them to the rest, the first photo being an aerial view of the mansion and its large, inner courtyard where a few people were walking around, setting up tables or hanging up decorations.

''Okay, so what I've seen from up above isn't very promising. The cameras aren't much of a problem, because whether they are directly connected to a monitor or are just recording, I think I may have a solution for them either way.'' Cody started explaining as a slideshow of the photos played on the TV, occasionally pointing at details on different photos while Gwen joined them, holding a glass of cola.

''But it's the walls that are the main concern. Wherever we can climb them, you'll always land next to any of those garden lamps here or anything else that compromises your location!'' Cody pointed out, casting a sour expression. ''I hate to say it, but it doesn't seem feasible to break into this guy without detection of any kind!'' He declared, faintly disappointed

''No actually!'' Noah contradicted, followed by a short chuckle. ''I think I got an alternative. I need some time thinking over and doing research, but it should be an option!'' He announced before he clapped his hands once and immediately grew a more active composure. ''Before I start with that; Cody, did anyone react already?''

''Hold on,'' Cody replied as he browsed his messages on his telephone. ''Yep! Everyone's in! They'll all be here by tomorrow night as we told them!'' Cody happily confirmed.

Gwen sighed and shook her head at the unpleasant thought of being confronted with her old partners in distress, their decayed lives, the prospect of having to work together undertaking heinous acts as well as Cody's glee over all that. And if she was honest with herself, she have had enough of it for today. She knew she couldn't get out of this anymore, but she could take a brief break from it all.

''Hey look, am I needed up until tomorrow night? I need to get some fresh air and take my head off of things.'' Gwen wearily asked.

''Go ahead, you're free to go where you please. Get yourself a hotel, go to that art show, do whatever you like as long as you can make it back here tomorrow by six PM.'' Noah stated.

''Good, thanks.'' Gwen wistfully replied before she went to get her suitcase and left. ''See you tomorrow guys.''

''Bye Gwen!'' Cody chirped, waving.

''Be sure to use a fake name!'' Noah reminded Gwen as she opened the door and had left the apartment with one leg.

''Will do.'' Gwen responded as she exited the apartment and went down the stairs, rolling her eyes in annoyance and slowly getting fed up with all the secrecy.

* * *

The hours went by faster than Gwen had wanted to. She got to visit the art show and a few other good modern art museums as well as sketch a little at the city's waterfront, and she enjoyed it very much as it easily kept her head off of the present; a brief escape from reality.

Unfortunately, her gut started to feel heavy again as the elevator ascended to the 18th floor of the apartment building. She was nervous to see the familiar faces of the past up close and personal again, and she hoped she was ready for it as much as she told herself she was.

Arriving at the right floor, Noah had already left the door to his apartment open so Gwen could allow herself in.

''Hey.'' Noah greeted her.

''Hey.'' Gwen quietly replied, feeling her heart pound in her throat as she noted that Noah had prepared a good dinner and was pouring in glasses of wine, which he had bought shortly before. ''Need help?'' She offered, unable to avoid sounding a little jittery.

''No thanks. I got it covered.'' Noah told her.

''So, what's the plan?''

''In due time Gwen. Just stay cool and wait for the others to arrive.'' Noah instructed her before Gwen went to sit down on the couch and tried to keep a cool head, which was only making her more nervous as the reunion with her old acquaintances drew closer and closer. Never before has time felt to go both so slow and so fast simultaneously as the meeting with an old friend, a ex friend, and a unpredictable new face drew closer.

Then, Gwen gasped as the bell rung. Noah casually walked over to the telephone and unlocked the front door down at the lobby of the apartment building for whoever just rung the bell. Another agonizing moment commenced as Gwen couldn't pry her eyes off the door. Then finally, Gwen's breathing briefly faltered as the person entered Noah's apartment, and said person was just as surprised to see Gwen.

''Geoff.'' Gwen gasped as she shot up and approached him.

''Gwen!'' Geoff responded so quietly that he was almost whispered. '' Cody? Noah?'' He added after noticing them as well while struggling to recognize Noah with his beard.

Geoff looked weary, he seemed to have gotten permanent bags under his eyes and nothing was left of the eternal, relaxed smile Gwen hated to remember so fondly. It hurt Gwen so much more to see Geoff like this in real life than on some picture, but now that he was here, no matter how jaded he looked, Gwen still sensed that it was still the Geoff she once knew.

''What are you guys doing here? Were you asked to? Or-'' Geoff continued, still very much confused.

''Sit down at the table Geoff and help yourself to some food. Everything will be explained once everyone's here.'' Noah instructed before Geoff hesitantly sat down, being joined by Gwen shortly after.

''What's all this Gwen?'' Geoff unsurely asked as he eyed Gwen.

''What we agreed to. I know, it looks strange and it probably will get a little stranger, but just wait and everything will be clear to you!'' Gwen kindly assured him. ''How have you been all these years?'' She continued, despite being well aware of how bad Geoff's life went.

''Shucks, not too good brah. I failed school, Bridgette dumped me and now I have to do heavy work just to get by! Really, it's not so cool right now.'' Geoff sighed, slowly shaking his head. ''But then I got this message saying that I could turn my life around, and I had nothing to lose so now I'm here. Even if I still don't really get what's going on.'' He finished as Gwen attentively listened, so attentively in fact that she failed to notice the doorbell ringing again.

''What do you think?''

''I really don't know, but you are here so that must sorta be a good sign!'' Geoff hesitantly answered, smiling faintly and making Gwen cast a small smile at him in return.

Then, they heard the door to the apartment open again, and Geoff and Gwen were greeted by another familiar face, though not with mutual appreciation.

''Gwen…'' The person muttered, surprised at seeing the familiar faces.

''Duncan…'' Gwen indifferently responded as she crossed her arms, but was hiding a great deal of surprise and tension as well upon seeing her ex.

Duncan looked distinctively healthier than Geoff, but at the same time more unkempt. His Mohawk had degraded into a messy tuft with a faint, green hue around it. Though it wasn't clear whether intentional, he hadn't properly shaved for a few days and Gwen and Geoff would've sworn he had gotten a few extra piercings.

''Ah Duncan, welcome!'' Noah greeted him as he approached.

''Noah? Geoff? What are-'' Duncan stuttered, getting even more baffled after noticing them too as Geoff, though to a lesser extent, was surprised to meet Duncan as well.

''Please take a seat and have a meal. Everything will be explained in due time!'' Noah urged him as he offered Duncan a seat.

''Sure. Nice beard.'' Duncan muttered on a sarcastic note as he sat down. Moments later, he finally shot Geoff a glance.

''Hey.''

''Hey man.'' Geoff greeted back, creating a somewhat awkward vibe as Duncan and Geoff hadn't spoken with each other for years, and haven't been exactly on good terms since the last time.

As Gwen observed them making clumsy small talk, she remembered that there was one last addition who was about to present herself, and Gwen couldn't figure out whether she was the one she had to worry the most, or the least about. It all depended on whether her reputation proved to be justified or not.

Then, the moment of the doorbell being rung a third time came. Duncan and Geoff looked on in wonder while Cody gently rubbed his hands in anticipation.

''How many more people are you expecting Noah?'' Duncan distrustfully asked.

''Yeah, like, is this going to be a big Total Drama reunion or something?'' Geoff added, raising an eyebrow.

''No, just one last addition for the thing we're all here for!'' Noah answered as he unlocked the door to the apartment lobby and left his own front door open on a chink while the rest looked on expectantly for the person's arrival.

Another silent moment passed in wait for the final crew member. Eventually, steps could be heard coming from the stairwell as they ascended and became louder, closing in on Noah's front door. Then, the door was gently pushed open by a well dressed redheaded woman; Scarlett.

A sharp contrast to Duncan and Geoff was that Scarlett neither looked unkempt or unhealthy nor didn't look very taken aback at all. Quite contrary, she looked rather calculated and prim, her hair slightly shorter but still neatly in a bun and wearing small, rectangular glasses.

''Good evening.'' She formally greeted everyone.

''Hello.'' Noah replied, doing a lot of thinking behind his relaxed, polite smile.

''Welcome! Take a seat and have a bite!'' Cody courteously offered as he pulled a chair back.

''I appreciate that.'' Scarlett replied, purposefully not looking for anything behind Cody's politeness as she sat down and drew up to the table before Cody could do it for her.

''So, are we all here or what?'' Duncan asked Noah, slightly annoyed.

Noah was still occupied with his thoughts, so it took a second before he responded. ''Yes- yes.'' He answered contently before he walked up to the head of the table. ''So, all of you have gotten mysterious messages giving you a lucrative opportunity for which you've had to risk breaking a few laws, correct?'' He asked, to which Duncan and Geoff gave an affirming nod.

''Indeed.'' Noah agreed. ''Ladies, gentlemen, the six of us have something in common; We have a history with Total Drama, a _bad_ history! Additionally, almost all of us have a bad history with Chris! And because either our participation on the show or Chris's involvement, all of you are not exactly living the life you wished to live, don't you?'' Noah asked as he leaned forward on the table.

''Now I reiterate; We can work to living the life of riches we want, and get revenge on Chris on top of that! But we _will_ break laws, and if it goes wrong we _will_ risk some serious jail time!'' Noah insistently warned as Duncan and Geoff looked concerned, but Scarlett didn't.

''However, for me to continue with this, it's important to know what that the plan is.'' Scarlett inquired, straight to the point.

''Patience, Scarlett.'' Noah casually silenced her, to Scarlett's slight annoyance. ''If you've changed your mind, feel free to leave now, and the plan's off! We resume with our lives and forget about all of this!'' He announced.

Almost everyone's reaction was different. Geoff was most visibly struggling with the dilemma while Duncan was, while much less, doubting too. Meanwhile, Scarlett shot them a subtle but angry glare, having her mind set on pulling this off and not letting this one chance be ruined by someone else's reluctance. Gwen was split, as she had decided to partake in this, but was secretly not opposed to the big plan ending before it even began. And Cody and Noah? They seemed fine either way. After all, they both apparently lived a life of relative comfort anyway.

''Do we have to, like, _kill_?'' Geoff asked, almost sounding as if he was struggling to say the word.

''Not unless it goes bad, which it shouldn't.'' Noah assured Geoff, though he could see that Geoff wasn't much more convinced and realized he had to reveal the general plan in order to sway him. ''The ultimate goal is Chris's headquarters; I want us to rob him of a ton of money!'' Noah revealed, taking the guys by surprise for the umpteenth time that night.

''Whoa, heavy! Like in the movies?'' Geoff asked, not having fully recovered yet.

''Yeah, but real!'' Noah answered. ''We'll have to commit a few smaller robberies first to gain valuable experience of undertaking these intricate heists. Maybe we can earn a good amount of money off of them in the meantime, but Chris and the Total Drama offices are our main goal!'' He continued, sounding more lively than he usually does.

''Shoot, I'm game! Count me in!'' Duncan called, getting enthusiastic.

''Likewise.'' Scarlett humbly replied, followed by a somewhat pedantic chuckle. ''You _will_ need me!'' She added. With two of the three new members having agreed, only Geoff was still doubting.

''So no killing people?'' He repeated, something that left Gwen faintly in awe.

''It's not supposed to happen!'' Cody answered, for a change.

Once again, Geoff thought for a moment until he nodded his head and shrugged. ''What have I got to lose? I'm in!'' He announced, smiling for the first time that night.

''Most excellent! That means we got a plan!'' Noah contently called as he rubbed his hands together. '' _Crew_ ,'' Noah began, placing a delighted emphasis on the word. ''Like I said, we are first going to tackle a few smaller targets, and If you follow me to the living area, I'll brief you on the first one right away!'' He announced as everyone followed him and sat down on the couches, with Geoff lagging behind as he choose to take one last bit of food from his dinner.

Cody turned Noah's TV on and the others were greeted by what looked like a photo presentation. Gwen casted a grin at the perceived unprofessionalism, reminding her of all the presentations she made in school.

''Our first goal is Ruud Vermaak. A South African dealer in diamonds both clean and blooded. He lives in a house here in Vancouver that's strangely well guarded, even for the average resident of that neighborhood!'' Noah began explaining as he showed several photos of the mansion, its security personnel and the cameras.

''Which could mean that he's either really cowardly, or is protecting something; It's most likely the latter. I'm certain he's sitting on a _lot_ of ice!'' He assured everyone before he changed the photos displayed.

''As you can see, the walls and all the security make it look impossible to breach from the outside. Luckily, Mr. Vermaak loves to host parties, and as you can judge from the decoration in the courtyard, and the deli van, and he's going to hold one in a few days!'' Noah continued explaining as Scarlett casted a knowing grin while the others were decently confused with Noah's findings.

''Yeah so? Are we invited?'' Gwen asked, faintly sarcastic.

''No, but we don't need a invite if we're going as a catering crew!'' Noah announced, to the others' surprise and persisting confusion.

''Wait- what are you saying?'' Gwen insistently asked, wanting to finally understand Noah's point.

''Simple! We pose as a catering crew working during the party. As we go around the party serving the guests their drinks, a few of us sneak into the mansion, steal anything valuable we find, finish our gig and leave with the take, and we even get paid for it!'' Noah explained. Duncan and Geoff seemed impressed, but Gwen visibly had her doubts.

''It's basically like Troy taking in the Trojan horse.'' Scarlett noted.

''Exactly!'' Cody enthusiastically agreed.

''And how are we supposed to do all that? The equipment, the mixing skill, the whole catering company?'' Gwen vexedly asked, listing the examples on her fingers.

''Relax Gwen, Rome wasn't built in one day either.'' Noah soothed her, though also a little annoyed by her worry.

''And what if we're recognized? The world may've largely forgotten about us but unless you want to keep that beard of yours, you as Mr. TV personality are still relevant and will be easily recognized!'' Gwen added, which got Noah thinking.

''Hmm, you got a point there...'' Noah admitted, looking down and rubbing his chin.

"As decent as the plan is, we just can't walk in and serve the elite of Vancouver society. Someone could catch on easily." Scarlett pointed out. "And do we have any idea who we're dealing with?"

"Relax Scarlett. Cody's working on fake documentation for us as well as hack the guest list, so we can easily get access and assess the threats certain guests may pose. Now, after we get in, we split up. Maybe half of us spend an hour serving while the other half finds valuables and diamonds to take. Afterwards, we'll switch positions and if all goes well, we'll sneak out two hours later without anyone noticing with as much of Mr. Vermaak's wealth we can carry."

"But what's the plan for after that?" Gwen asked Noah. "What if this fails and we all get caught?"

"We'll have an escape plan all thought out by the time the party gets here." Noah added.

"So who will the teams be?" Geoff asked.

"If it's definitive, I was thinking that Team One would be me, Gwen, and Duncan. Team Two would be Cody, Scarlett, and Geoff."

The selections had a mixed reception amongst the party of six. Some members, like Cody, were thrilled with their partners, while others, such as Gwen, not so much.

"Oh come on! I'm stuck with my ex and the boss?" Gwen burst out.

"Come on Pasty, it won't be that bad. It'll be just like old times." Duncan added.

''Those are exactly the ones I'm trying to forget!'' She brutishly muttered before she just rolled her eyes and turned back to Noah, finding solace in the fact that she may be stuck with Duncan, at least she wasn't grouped with Scarlett, of whom she still didn't really know what to think of.

"As much as some of you all may not like your choice of partners, that was the best I could do." Noah said to everyone. "Do we have an understanding?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, though some were more reluctant to do so than others. Noah grinned a little as he stood up and looked at the others. "Alright, this is how it's going to go down. We'll need to get a couple of things, such as a plain white van, a few small firearms and silencers and catering equipment! Now if-"

Gwen's mind trailed off. There was a plan, there was a team, but Gwen still felt nervous. So much has happened already, but she was still wavering. The fear of the unknown had not departed, and now it was joined by the fear of failure. She was lucky yesterday, but with everything they do, the chances of failing as well as the consequences will continue to increase.

* * *

 _ **Fin**_ **... No wait that's only at the very end of a story!**

 **[1] Just for clarity, but Sikhism does not allow its followers to cut their hair, so that's why they have beards and wear turbans, to control that long hair!**

 **Alright, that was chapter 3 with only a fragment of the time between this and the previous chapter! We're improving!**

 **Anyway, see you next update! Where I'm planning to let Applauze take charge for a change!**

 **:D,**

 **L.W. and Applauze.**


	4. Preparations

**Hello again folks! It's me, Lowland Warrior with the next- 'Signal lost'**

 **Hey guys, Applauze here! So I want to say thank you to everyone who's been reading the story so far and supporting us in terms of reviews and favorites. Now Warrior has allowed me to step onto center stage and do a chapter by myself, to indicate that I'm not just a person in the shadows. I contribute a lot behind the scenes like planning, suggesting, and even trying to help organize how the story goes. I know you all want to see the first heist, but you have to be a bit more patient since we're trying to build up the hype for you guys.**

 **In addition, this won't be the last chapter I do myself. I don't know many I'll end up doing, but I do know that there will be one from me down the road that's a bit artistic in it's take, but that's the only hint I'm giving for now.**

 **Now, I should stop the author's note here for now and let you all start reading. The rest is, as usual, at the bottom of the page.**

 **Oh Christ, I hope this turns out good.**

 **I really need to stop taking now…**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Preparations**

* * *

Duncan felt weird being at a coffee shop early in the morning. Normally he'd be sleeping in until late afternoon after staying out all night, but when he got the text from Noah asking him to meet Geoff at the coffee shop, he figured that a one day change wouldn't hurt him.

But it was Geoff, and considering they had a falling out a few years prior, he didn't know what was going to happen.

He had to remember that this was Noah's idea. Noah insisted that they spend some time out in public so to mend a broken bond if not then to not look suspicious by remaining indoors all day. The idea of revenge was appeasing to Duncan, but he didn't expect himself to find the opportunity through what he called "the island of misfit toys." There was Noah, the arrogant one. Cody, the wimpy one. Scarlett, the deceiving one. Geoff, the bandwagon and then there was Gwen.

When confronted with the fact that he'd be working with his ex didn't brought good news to him right way. He still remembered when they broke up and she told him that she hoped he'd die a horrible death. It might've been a bit extreme at the time, but he didn't know if she thought that way or no.

At the same time, he couldn't let his head be filled with emotional doubts. He had a job to do, and he was glad that he was part of a team that was going to eventually get revenge on Chris and Duncan couldn't wait. He had some unfinished business with the host ever since he sent him to jail.

It didn't take long for Geoff to arrive, and order two coffees. He came over to the table and handed Duncan one.

"I normally don't drink this stuff, but I can't say much if you bought it." Duncan said.

"Eh, I just figured that since we're working together again that we could be semi-friendly toward each other." Geoff replied.

"Well since we've not seen each other in a while, I figured that we catch up." Duncan added. "How's your life been?"

"If we're going to be honest with each other, bro, it's not been great." Geoff responded while seemingly being reluctant to talk, but since they were in this heist conspiracy together and there would be more jobs to come, he had to be decent toward his former best friend.

"I know that Geoff. My life's not been great either, but we're in this together. We can either open up and at least be somewhat pals again or be awkward around each other, which will make the whole thing fall apart. It's up to you."

"I guess we can open up-"

"And I'll let you start." Duncan offered as he leaned back.

Geoff heaved a bitter sigh before beginning. "If we're being honest bro, my life's not been great. I mean, the fame was wonderful, and I felt like I was on top of the world, but I started losing my grip on reality. In my endless search for partying and fun, I turned to the bottle and before I knew it, I was drinking almost non-stop. I wanted to quit for Bridge's sake, but I just couldn't. Every time I tried to, I ended up drinking more and more until the point that things between us started falling apart. It didn't help that I took up gambling to help cope with the drinking problem I developed. Before long, not only did I gamble all of my money, but Bridge's too.''

"It all came down on me one morning when I woke up to find that she was was gone. I searched all around the apartment but her stuff was gone and she didn't leave any clues as to where she went. That was when I knew that I lost her. The world became a dark place for me. My grades plummeted and before I knew it was kicked out of college. I sunk into a deep state of depression. I was so depressed that I wanted to end it all, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. My mind was so foggy, to the point that I didn't know what was real anymore. That was when I realized that I needed help.''

"So I did the right thing. I checked myself into rehab for both alcoholism and gambling. I spent about a year and half getting cleaned up and learning how to move on from the past. After getting out, I wanted to get away from the past so I became a truck driver for a logging company, and while I've enjoyed being on the open road a lot, a part of me still wishes I could find Bridgette and ask for her forgiveness. She's out there somewhere, man, but I don't know where. Until I can find her, the burden will always remain on my heart. But it's buried underneath the present since I don't want it to destroy me again. I still have heartaches at the last, but it's not as severe as it was."

The whole time that Geoff was talking, Duncan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Geoff did had a rough life, a little bit more rougher than what he thought. He knew that Geoff had fell off of the bandwagon, but not as hard as Geoff mentioned.

He didn't know who had it worse, him or Geoff. But they were about to find out.

"Man, I'm sorry." Duncan finally replied after hearing Geoff speak. "I didn't know what happened to you. It made me kinda wish I had been there for you."

"Me too. But there are somethings you have to fight alone." Geoff added.

"Well I'm guessing that it's my turn now. So here goes nothing. As you know, I was sent to prison for blowing up Chris's mansion. At first, I thought it was worth it and that the sentence wouldn't be that bad, but little did I know what Chris had in store. He had me sent to about the worst prison in Canada. I mean, this place was home of the worst kind of criminals. The treatment there was so horrible that you can't begin to imagine it. So, being desperate, I escaped.''

"It wasn't easy to escape, but when I finally did, I got the hell away from that place. I became a fugitive on the run. I knew that I needed to keep a low profile, but being the criminal that I am, that was all but impossible. I started going all over the county, doing armed robberies and thefts. I always got out of there and managed to keep myself one step ahead of the law, but I was stupid enough to arm a armed car full of cash and was finally caught.

"Needless to say, I made headlines all over the county and my trial were somewhat of celebrity status. They wanted the maximum, which is life, but the jury was deadlocked. Instead, they gave me a five year sentence, with the possibility of parole, and I got out about nineteen months later for good behavior. Ever since, I kept a low profile and avoided anyone from my past, until now, when I got the message from Noah about joining this heist. At first, I was a bit hesitant about returning to the past ways, but the offer he made was too good to pass up. So here I am now, back with you, and trying to figure out if we're going to make it or if we're going to face a firing squad."

"Well, I guess we've both had pretty bad lives since the show, but we're not the only ones. I heard Scott's became a meth addict and Izzy committed suicide by filling her pockets with stones and drowning." Geoff pointed out, perhaps a little numbed by Duncan's backstory. [1]

"Sounds like we've all had pretty shitty lives."

"Tell me about it." Geoff replied, cocking his head slightly.

"But while I wouldn't mind hearing about how bad everyone else has it, we have a job to do Geoff. Noah sent us out to find a van. The only way I can think of getting one for our heist is that we have to steal one." Duncan stated before he rose from his seat.

"Why can't we just rent one bro?" Geoff asked with a confused glare as he followed suit.

"Because, renting one can trace it back to us, and Noah specifically said that we'd be killed if we do that." Duncan explained in a hushed tone while they headed for the exit. ''On top of that, I have a feeling the van needs to be sprayed over with the company's logo, so go explain _that_ to a renting company when you return it.''

"So how are we going to find one?" Geoff asked.

"It needs to be a simple van that can be transformed in a quick period, and owned by an idiot who won't know that it's missing." Duncan commented. "I'm sure that there's one near by."

"There could be." Geoff replied. "We need to go looking for one."

So after throwing their coffees away, the two guys left the coffee shop and started walking the streets, casually looking for a van they could casually borrow and not return. But Vancouver didn't offer them much options since most vans were either the wrong kind or they couldn't be transformed in a short amount of time.

Eventually, after a few hours, which was in stark contrast to their expectations, they found a van that matched what Noah was looking for. It was a donut van and it was located inside an ally. Both of them snuck up to it and checked it out, and it could be transformed quickly, and the idea of free donuts for all of them seemed perfect.

Except, there was a problem. The van had no gas. And there were no gas stations nearby, so the two guys tried to figure out how to take the van without looking suspicious.

After a while, Duncan had an idea pop into his head. "I got an idea, and this is how we're going to do it."

* * *

"I can't believe that we've gotten ourselves involved in this."

"Believe me Scarlett, I'm not on board with this either."

While Geoff and Duncan were attempting to get a van, Gwen and Scarlett were on the other side of town at a department store shopping in the men's section. They were trying to casually pick out the outfits that caters would wear at parties, without sticking out and exposing their cover. Luckily for them, Cody had informed them what the uniforms looked like and where they came from so it made their work much easier.

Of course, the girls received some strange looks while being in the men's department, but no one bothered to asked since everyone's seen weirder things than two women feeling the elastic of undergarments.

"You think we'd be able to pull it off?" Gwen asked Scarlett.

"Define 'pull it off'. The phrase itself can go lots of ways." Scarlett wryly replied.

"I mean by do you think we'll be successful in terms of this heist?"

"I conclude so. If not, we'll be caught, swiftly tried, and executed while that meaningless Chris never gets what's coming to him. Oh, wait until the moment comes that I get to taste his blood!" She venomously growled, squeezing her hand into a fist. [2]

Gwen couldn't help but look at Scarlett with uncertainty. This was the partner that she was stuck with, an intelligent brainiac who claimed to be a former psychopath, but had rather dark and madding thoughts. It took a simple "Uh, Scarlett…" to snap her back into reality.

"Allow to apologize for my rather cabalistic thoughts moments ago, Gwendolyn. You see, we share a lot in common. We've both been wronged by Chris, and we both want revenge. However, despite our surprisingly common theme of revenge and being wronged by the same man, our motives are different." Scarlett formally stated, almost as if to make up for her demonic attitude.

"Well, it shouldn't be much of a shocker. I've been cheated out of a million bucks." Gwen sarcastically mentioned. "What he has done to you? Besides the fact that he locked you up." She continued, tempted to say that she belonged there.

"I'll more than gladly tell you. It may even change your perspective of me, but I highly doubt that.'' Scarlett noted, to which Gwen shot her a surprised look.

"As you may know, Chris had me locked up for attempting to blow up the island and you know the fact that I was in prison for a few years and the fact that after I was released, no major university would accept me based on the incident. Not to be defeated, I took online courses, while working on the sidelines, to get a degree in art history. I ended up with a masters and was considering a doctorate when an unexpected opportunity came from the least likely of all people, Chris.''

"Chris had managed to track me down and knew that I was a certified art historian. He wanted me to acquire various pieces of arts for his private collection, in return for a hefty commission and the promise of having my records deleted. I didn't know it was him at the time, he remained anonymous and contacted me through E-mail. I should have known better, but at the time, I was looking to reestablish myself as an intellectual who had been cured of her case of Hyde and Jekyll, so I agreed.''

''I don't know he constantly does. It's probably his way with words.'' Gwen casually remarked, which was in contrast to how

"I traveled all over the world, going to auction houses, estate sales, art galleries, and black market meetings to acquire what he wanted. Soon, as a result of my work, Chris had built up one of the finest collections of private art, but he had it all hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains since a good majority of the paintings and sculptures had either been stolen, been missing for decades, or had been presumed to be destroyed. Of course, he also acquired thousands of items to decorate his mansion as well, but in a more legal way.''

"After my work was completed, he promised me that I'd receive my commission in three months and that my charges would be dropped around the same time. Well, three months went and no payment, nor had my charges been dropped. So I started digging around and I discovered everything! That he was secret employer, and that he used me! He used me again! It was bad enough that he used me back on the island, but he used me to acquire works of art that had been missing for decades, even centuries, and most of it being tied with the Nazis! I was furious. I left him messages that were never answered, only to be billed with a bill for the amount he promised to pay me and a restraining order banning me from having any contact with him.''

"So don't you see why I want revenge? I want to not only wrong a right with him, but wrong a right with history itself. If that art was returned to the public, it would restore the missing gaps of our culture and would finish the legacy that the monuments men started."

Gwen didn't know what to believe. Scarlett's story seemed to be far fetched and out of this world, but there was a high chance that it could also be real. From the tone she picked up, Scarlett wasn't lying, but she had to be sure that this wasn't one of her games. "Is there any truth to this?" Gwen finally asked, being the only thing she could ask to verify Scarlett's story.

"Of course there is truth!" Scarlett replied, sounding insulted. "After we get this first heist over, I'll show you the collection of documents I snuck out of Chris's files for my own use. It may help you see that I'm not much of a deceiver as many think I ought to be."

"Is your plan to eventually retreat the art?"

"I hope so, but with Noah as our ringleader, I don't know if he'd approach the opportunity or reject it. I'm surprised that he knows what he's doing."

"Sounds like you hate Noah."

"The correct terminology is dislike, but that itself is a strong word. I hate the fact that he seems to know everything about Chris, but he doesn't know that I have a lot of information, like the location of the bunker full of art and his private mansion."

"Maybe he sees a different value in you." Gwen suggested.

"Maybe. But I wish I had more power in our group beyond playing a pretend receptionist! It would allow these operations to be more smoother." Scarlett complainingly responded.

''That wasn't nothing against you. Your formal-sounding voice was just the most suitable for the situation.'' Gwen pointed out. "Remember Scarlett, this is a trial run. You have to prove yourself worthy in leading up to robbing Chris. It's not like you done this before."

"Well, about that…"

* * *

 _Being fired off by Chris was the most humiliating experience for Scarlett. One would think that she would forgive him and move on while trying to figure out what to do next._

 _Or so they thought. No one messed with Scarlett and got away with it. Hence why she headed for one of his homes and wanted to break in before she was caught. In there, she was smashing busts of Chris with a mallet provided by her reluctant assistant, Max. Who only joined along with her in lack of a better option._

 _"He can't get rid of me that easily." Scarlett commented as she walked back and forth across the room. "Who does that little worm think he is? Does he-"_

 _She noticed that the bust she was going to smash was a bit off. "A little to the left." She told Max as he nudge it far enough for her to smash it. "Does he have any idea of who he's dealing with?! How could he do this to me? Why I practically made him wealthy off of this rotten show."_

 _"You think that he'd thank you you know." Max replied as she smashed another bust._

 _"Yeah, go figure."_

 _"Well, at least you're taking your anger out on these busts instead of the real Chris."_

 _Max's words was a lightbulb moment for Scarlett. She hadn't thought of getting rid of Chris personally, but Max's suggestion was brilliant! So brilliant that it seemed too good to pass up. "That's it! That's it!" Scarlett cried as she grabbed of Max. "I'll get rid of Chris! Brilliant!"_

 _"You mean the real Chris, Scarlett?"_

 _"Of course I mean the real Chris! There's no time to lose Max. To the secret lab!"_

 _Scarlett and Max went to a statue that had two levers. One which lead to the lab, and one which lead to a pool of alligators. "Pull the lever, Max!"_

 _Max gleefully pulled the level, not knowing he pulled the wrong one until Scarlett fell and screamed, "Wrong lever!"_

 _''Oh.'' Max gulped as he looked down the hole she fell in. [3]_

* * *

"Needless to say, that experience didn't go well."

''Did that really happen?'' Gwen asked with a raised eyebrow, being undecided on whether to believe her.

''Yes...'' Scarlett briefly answered, realizing she may've not illustrated it properly. ''But it was a lot more serious than I made it out to be.''

"Well, I've certainly heard it all now."

After finishing up the conversation, the ladies realized they had spent enough time shopping and that they should head back to the apartment. After paying for their purchases in cash, so that a trail wouldn't lead back to any of them, Gwen and Scarlett headed out into the Vancouver afternoon, ready to forget about the long day they had, their mutual arrangement, and to prepare for their first challenge to come.

The trip brought on conflicted feelings to Gwen. At one hand, she got a closer look of what Scarlett was capable of when sufficiently wronged and that she most likely wouldn't hold back if someone did anger her, even after all these years. Yet, Gwen also felt like Scarlett would be a pretty decent person if she wasn't subjected to the humiliation and the trickery she had endured, her willful attempt to kill people that preceded it aside. And on top of that, Gwen was pleasantly surprised to hear about her degree in art history and her interaction with several exceptional pieces of art and was curious to learn more about them, or maybe even willing to visit a gallery together sooner or later.

"So how does it feel to be working with your ex?" Scarlett randomly asked as they left the department store, pulling Gwen back out of her thoughts.

"It feels weird. I told Duncan last time that I hoped he died and I never wanted to see him again." Gwen unsurely answered.

"Seems like you two have a schoolbook example of a love-hate relationship."

"Kinda. I mean, we've not talked much since our meeting the other night and I highly doubt we'll be saying much, despite being on the same team. I'm not looking to get back into a relationship. Two bad relationships is enough for a lifetime." Gwen morosely explained as she shook her head.

"I agree. I've never experienced a crush or a relationship. I just can't get over the fact that it's merely hormones at work and not some otherworldly feeling. But that's okay, I don't want one either."

"Not even with the fact that Cody's probably been eyeing you?" Gwen asked after a quick deduction of Cody's recent behavior.

"Whatever love fantasy he has, he can forget it." Scarlett flatly replied. "I have no interest in him."

"Well he probably does. He even handpicked you to be the last member of the team."

"He did?"

"Yep. He managed to convince Noah to see your potential, and outvoted me in the process. He definitely sees something in you that the rest of us don't, and we can't figure it out."

Scarlett couldn't help but smile. Cody was the sole reason she got this chance and she was sort of grateful for that, but it still didn't mean that she'd date. She'd accept him as more of a asset, or maybe a friend who needed guidance every now and then.

* * *

As they were walking down the street, they saw what looked like a donut van heading toward them. The closer it got to them, the more they could see the drivers. "Is that who I think it is-"

Before the question could completely come out, the van pulled out and opened it's doors to reveal Geoff and Duncan in the front seats. "Well what are you dudes waiting for? Hope on." Geoff commented.

So the girls entered the van and it head off to the apartment.

"And just how did you acquire this van?" Gwen asked.

"It was such an easy job. The idiot left the key in, but no gas. So me and Geoff went to a restaurant and got French Fry grease and it started it up. Who knew that fast food grease can be a substitute for gasoline." Duncan replied.

"I actually knew that since they both share common properties- and I better shut up." Scarlett added.

Gwen couldn't help but release a little smile. Who knew that a donut van would make her actually feel happy for the first time since this has begun. "So what are we going to do with all of these donuts?"

"Store them in Noah's apartment." Duncan replied.

"Well, I'm sure he won't mind." Geoff added.

"Well, since we have so many, I'll just have one now." Gwen commented as she reached for a jelly filled one.

"Ah why not." Scarlett said as she too reached for a donut.

* * *

Needless to say, Noah did mind. While he was impressed with the fact that Geoff and Duncan did get a van, he wasn't impressed with the fact that his apartment smelt more like a bakery. "There's more donuts here than what an average person eats in their lifetime!" Noah complained, stretching his hand out to the boxes of donuts on his kitchen counters.

"Come on Noah, don't be dramatic! You don't see me complaining." Cody remarked with a mouthful of donut.

"That's because you have a sweet tooth, Cody. You like anything that's sweet." Noah countered. Cody couldn't answer since he had a little blush creeping up on him. ''Okay, let me give you an address. There is a garage somewhere in town we can use to hide the van and everything else away!'' Noah stated as he handed Geoff a key before he turned to Gwen and handed her a photo. ''Gwen, can you get some paint and spray the logo onto both sides of the van?'' He requested.

''Hmm, I think I can. Give me an evening.'' She answered while inspecting the photograph.

''Good! Here's your spare key to the garage!'' Noah contently replied as he handed Gwen another key. ''Me and Cody will take care of the last few things. Do _not_ come back here until we give you the heads-up. When the time's there, it's going down!'' Noah concluded before everyone took it as sign that they could leave, but not before taking a few donuts along with them, or a whole box in Geoff's case.

Everything was going to plan. It would be a matter of a few days until the first heist would go off without a hitch. Noah couldn't help but grin a little. This would be the beginning of a massive wave of revenge that no one saw coming, and would leave a trail of scorched earth behind.

* * *

 **[1]This is a reference to the famous English writer Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) who was modernist writer of the 1920's- 1930's and who wrote some of the most noted works of modern literature, such as Mrs. Dalloway, Jacob's Room, The Waves, and To the Lighthouse. The way Izzy's death is mentioned is the same way Woolf committed suicide, although her body wasn't found until five weeks later.**

 **[2] Part of this quote comes from one of the earliest episodes of The Golden Girls to where Dorothy wants to kill her husband Stan on the day of her daughter's wedding. I felt like this connected to Scarlett in someway.**

 **[3] Of course, I had to put a little humor in this so I used the part in The Emperor's New Groove to where Yzma and Kronk talks about getting rid of Kuzco. In this scene, Scarlett is Yzma, Max is Kronk, and Chris is Kuzco.**

 **So there you all have it! I hope this chapter turned out pretty good for you all! Next time, Warrior will be back front and center for the next chapter and hopefully, we can get the story going from here.**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Applause and Warrior.**

 **Postscript: Please read, review, favor, alert, and spread the world. (Give me a break. I hadn't used that in a few years so it seemed like a good way to end my chapter. Which should happen about no-)**

 **'Signal returning'**

 **And we're back! Now, enjoy this chap- Oh hey! Applause had written it already! Well shoot!**

 **Oh well, Like Applause said; See you next time!**


	5. Into The Lion's Den

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **Well, today's the day! Let's get heisting!**

 **Joel Connor: You can clearly tell Applauze wrote the previous chapter! I mean come on, he needs five days to write a chapter that size, I five** _ **weeks**_ **... at least!**

 **Dark Angel Of Sorrow Returns: You know, people tell me more often that I can write Gwen really well. Maybe I should do something with that...**

 **Applauze: You're too polite you know that? Leaving a review when you've written the whole thing! After all, you should feel like all this praise is actually directed at you!**

 **Vogon Widow: If I was to tell you that you're not too far away from what inspired me to write this, what other vibes would you be getting? Come on tell me, I'm curious! :D**

 **SdGeek: Because disregard the constabulary, that's why a donut van! :D**

 **That's all! Nothing more to say. Let's move on!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Into The Lion's Den.**

* * *

She thought she looked odd.

To avoid standing out, Gwen had to wash out her hair dye, and not only was this an agonizing chore taking almost an entire evening, she wasn't really satisfied with seeing her natural chestnut brown hair again. It wasn't exactly that she hated it, but after many years of consistently keeping her hair dyed, she simply wasn't accustomed to her real hair color anymore.

Another reason why Gwen had to wash out her hair was to make a ID card, a fake one made only days earlier. Gwen looked at the alias she was given and had to teach herself the past few days, Marian Manson, and again at her picture and her brown hair.

No, her hair she could actually stand, but she _did_ passionately despise her caterer outfit, which consisted of plain black pants and a brown vest over a red shirt. Colors reflective of the autumn season, but that didn't take away that she thought said colors simply didn't fit her. She looked at her fellow crew members preparing while dressed in similar outfits, and found a little solace in that at least everyone had to wear it, so at least she wasn't the only one looking silly.

Everyone had gathered in a nondescript garage somewhere in a small industrial area. Geoff and Scarlett were loading up the bus while Duncan, who also had washed out his hair, stood at a workbench in a far corner, tinkering on something that Gwen didn't bother to care about.

Just as some of them were wondering what took him so long, Noah entered, wearing a coat and his turban.

''Good evening everyone.'' Noah casually greeted before he threw his coat off, revealing him to wear the exact same outfit as the rest.

''Hey man.'' Geoff greeted after leaving the van.

''Hey.'' Gwen mumbled while Duncan looked over his shoulder while he and Scarlett both lightly nodded their head in acknowledgement of Noah's arrival.

''It's time.'' Noah announced as he loudly clapped his hands once, startling Geoff and Gwen as he rubbed them together. ''Gather around everyone.''

''Almost finished. I'll join in a sec.'' Duncan called.

''Okay, the key to success is inconspicuousness. We're robbing someone, but also pose as a catering crew, providing and serving drinks at a party. If we don't keep up the latter, we can't do the former.'' Noah started explaining, standing in front of the van.

''We'll serve the guests for a while, and when they are slowly getting intoxicated, two of us sneak into the mansion. Now I know what I said about teams earlier, but forget that. Cody and I have settled for another plan!'' He revealed.

''Another plan? Why didn't you inform us earlier?'' Scarlett asked with notable hints of accusation in her voice, looking annoyed.

''Because we didn't want to until we had another plan! A _better_ one!'' He assured.

''Where is Cody by the way?'' Geoff confusedly asked as the rest now also realized he wasn't here, which took them a scandalously long time to do so.

''Back at my home, behind his computer.'' Noah answered, to the surprise of the rest. ''As two of us sneak into the mansion and go looking for wherever the diamonds are stored, Cody hacks into the security system to disable cameras and keep you up to date on the positions of the guards!''

''I see...'' Scarlett mumbled as she crossed her arms, still not fully satisfied.

''Assuming that you're lighter on your feet, it would be wise to send in Gwen and Scarlett to recon the mansion!'' Noah continued.

''I... yes.'' Gwen unsurely replied, wanting to object being teamed up with the unpredictable Scarlett and her demonic reputation, but having no solid reason to do so after Gwen's pleasant impression of her at the boutique.

''Understood.'' Scarlett formally acknowledged.

''When you two have found the vault, we wait until the partygoers are more concerned with each other and their drinks to note that we're not around. Then, Duncan, Geoff and if necessary I will go in to crack it, ransack it and safely hide the loot in the van. We stay until the end of the party, clean up, and leave like we never were there in the first place!''

''I've bought earpieces for everyone to stay in touch with Cody as he guides us through the mansion. Only put them in as you go inside to avoid suspicion!'' Noah carefully instructed as he took five earpieces with small microphones out of his coat and handed them to everyone. Just then, Duncan seemed ready at his workbench and walked up to Noah, carrying something in his hands.

''And if things go wrong, use these!'' Noah continued as Duncan flashed two handguns with silencers, which everyone figured Duncan welded on at the workbench just now. While Scarlett remained unmoved, Geoff and Gwen shot concerned looks as Gwen even winced back slightly at the sight of the pistol, as it reminded of the true seriousness of their undertaking, but at the same time it also served as a reminder of the life of crime Duncan choose before she did.

''Of course. You have a way with guns after all, huh?''

''I cannot stress this enough, _do not use them unless it's a last resort_!'' Noah sternly pointed out. ''And then preferably on yourself!'' He added more calmly before casting a glance back at Duncan. ''Hide these somewhere in the van.'' He ordered Duncan, who then climbed in the back.

''Now, the last thing before we go, does everyone have their ID's with them? Does everyone has learnt their fake names?'' Noah inquired before specifically eyeing Geoff. ''Do you?''

''S'yeah man! I'm Patrick! Patrick...'' Geoff replied with a casual smile before struggling to remember the surname and looked it up. ''Bodhi!'' He added. [1]

Noah rolled his eyes in faint indifference. ''Good, that should do.'' He muttered before loudly clapping his hands once. ''Okay everyone, this is it. Stay cool, act cool, and everything should be cool! Let's go!'' Noah announced before everyone walked over to enter the van. ''Geoff, you're driving.'' He added before tossing Geoff the keys while Noah himself rode shotgun.

''S'yeah.'' Geoff replied, barely catching the keys.

Gwen cast one look at the logo on the van, which she had proudly painted on herself a few days earlier before climbing in and slamming the door shut. Geoff turned the ignition on and with that, their first heist was officially underway.

* * *

During the whole ride, a tense quiet persisted and a mix of emotions went through the different crew members. Noah was carefully confident, knowing that as long as everyone did as they were told, it should go off without a hitch. On the contrary, Gwen and Geoff's worry was on the rise again despite the faith they had before entering the van. Duncan viewed it as nothing more than a slightly more complicated job than his usual stickups and Scarlett, Scarlett knew that if something would go amiss, she'd make sure the people responsible would thoroughly regret their failure.

As they had almost reached the mansion, Noah turned his head back to address the people there. ''From this point on, refer to each other with our fake names, and no more open talk about the heist plans! Be _very_ subtle!'' Noah remarked.

''Gothca, _Harjit_!'' Duncan replied with a smug smirk.

The van pulled over at the mansion's front gate, and immediately a guard approached them.

''Good evening.'' Geoff greeted him after he had rolled down the window to let the guard take a look inside the van. The guard then gestured something to a camera and the front gate opened, allowing the van entrance inside its walls.

Immediately after they stopped and exited the van, another pair of guards approached them.

''Identification please.'' One of them formally yet obtrusively demanded, having an arm stretched out to receive the cards. After everyone had handed their ID's, the guard briefly examined them while in particular Gwen struggled to keep her cool. However, Noah subtly built up a nervous sweat as well. Meanwhile, the other guard gestured Geoff to spread his limbs out and began searching him.

''Is this necessary?'' Noah asked.

''Standard procedure sir.'' The guard plainly answered.

''Probably your favorite part, isn't it?'' Duncan subtly mockingly asked just as the guard was searching his legs and lower body before turning to Gwen and Scarlett. The frisk, no matter how brief, made the women uncomfortable, but both were aware that they just had to get over with it.

Eventually, the guard finished searching and shot the other a firm nod. ''Alright. You may continue.'' The other guard declared as he handed the ID's back to everyone and gestured them to come along.

They were guided to the courtyard, which was already nicely decorated, but contrary to common belief, still empty. The only person there was a rather tall, white, dignified individual dressed in a equally majestic suit.

''Goeieaand.'' The man greeted with a peculiar, accent unknown to the crew as he approached them.

''Good evening.'' Noah casually greeted in return, which as Noah recognized but didn't speak Afrikaans at all, could only assume they were greeted. ''What are your wishes tonight, Mr. Vermaak?''

''Die usual. Maak drinks, serve drinks to my guestse, stock the buffet with die food my personal chef makes and chiefly _do not get in the way not_.'' Mr. Vermaak brusquely explained. Despite speaking with a tricky blend of English and Afrikaans and with the accent on top of that, the crew basically understood what he meant.

''So be it.'' Noah declared, lightly nodding his head in acknowledgement.

''Goeie.'' He told before walking off.

''Okay. Patrick, you man the bar. The rest of us go free-range!'' Noah ordered, specifically eyeing Geoff for a moment before walking off.

''I'm barkeeper? S'yeah, I... okay.'' Geoff hesitantly agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. Gwen lagged behind and it was clear to her that Geoff was really struggling with this assignment, and Geoff did want to object. But at the same time he didn't want to be a burden.

''I'll help you with the bottles.'' Duncan offered, grabbing Geoff's shoulder before Gwen could ask what was bothering him.

* * *

A short while later, Geoff was skillfully mixing drinks, having had lots of experience from when he was younger while the others hung around the bar in wait for work to do as the first few guests arrived and Mr. Vermaak was ready to welcome them.

''Hey! _Rooikop_!'' He shouted at them. Scarlett, having a feeling that he meant her, turned her head towards him to confirm whether Mr. Vermaak did address her. ''Yes jy! Come over here to offer die guestse a drinkie!'' He barked.

''Certainly sir!'' Scarlett responded, followed by a bitter groan. She hated to be demeaned like this, but she had to stay in her role, so she had no choice but submissively obey.

''Ek not paying you nie to hang around not after all!'' He continued as Geoff finished a few drinks and placed them on a tray, after which Scarlett gingerly walked over to the entrance of the courtyard.

''Mr. Wynn, Mr. Kitt! Welcome!'' Mr. Vermaak warmly greeted as a pair of men who appeared just as eccentric as they behaved approached him and cordially shook hands with each other. ''Et is a pleasure!''

''The feeling is mutual, isn't it, Mr. Kitt?'' Mr. Wynn asked. Gently, yet with a inexplicable macabre and criminally insane touch.

''It sure is, Mr. Wynn!'' Mr. Kitt similarly responded.

''Hé fun!'' Mr. Vermaak told them as they walked ahead while Scarlett quietly offered them a drink, which they gladly accepted before skipping away, hand in hand. [2]

''Pff, I hope that's the worst of what's to come tonight, but somewhere I feel like they're just the tip of the iceberg.'' Gwen griped to Geoff and Duncan while Noah went to stock the buffet when they raised their eyebrows at the arrival of the next guest, a familiar face from their reality TV days.

''Isn't that-'' Duncan mumbled, faintly surprised at the appearance of Blaineley, who had not aged well in the past ten years. The unnaturally blond dye job done to her hair failed to hide the gray hair and her aging body made all the plastic surgery she had done to her face, chest and body all the more obvious, and not in a flattering way. It was obvious that she couldn't accept that she got older. Nonetheless, Mr. Vermaak immediately took a shine to her.

''What is she doing here?'' Geoff wondered.

''Probably attention seeking. I heard she went through five men and two women in less than two years time for the exposure and probably to boost her waning career. It earned her the nickname Black Widow Blaineley.'' Gwen explained, having learned from reading random articles over the years.

''What a train wreck.'' Duncan added, shaking his head disapprovingly.

''Might she recognize us?'' Gwen asked, getting slightly concerned.

''Don't sweat it. I doubt she remembers anyone but her own mirror image!'' Duncan scoffed.

They watched the other guests arrive, who were either just as crooked or visibly more criminal than their predecessors. Then, seemingly the final guests of the night arrived, and Gwen's heart skipped a beat when the most criminal people she ever got to know entered the courtyard.

Alejandro, with Heather at his side.

Gwen's breathing stopped as Mr. Vermaak kissed Heather's hand upon their introduction, followed by Gwen almost hyperventilating out of sheer terror.

''Brah, what's wrong?'' Geoff concernedly asked as he left his spot and supported her while Duncan too was concerned, not yet aware of who just could blow their entire cover.

''Heath- Heath-'' Gwen gasped as she pointed at Heather.

''Heat? Good idea! It's pretty chilly tonight!'' Geoff agreed while Duncan did understand what Gwen was trying to warn them about.

''No dumbass! Heather!'' Duncan gravely clarified before turning Geoff's head to Alejandro and Heather as they went to conversation with the other guests. Geoff's expression turned to match Duncan's grave look. ''Damn. This can be trouble.'' Duncan declared.

''Why? We haven't seen each other in years! And we're disguised!'' Geoff reasoned, hoping to lighten the mood.

''Heather and Alejandro are not people who'd simply forget us! And I'm sure they're smart enough to immediately recognize us once they take a good look!'' Duncan contradicted, now making Geoff fully aware of the graveness as well as he eyed a beverage he had just made, which now started to look hauntingly attractive to him.

''Just one drink.'' Geoff mumbled to himself before quickly slamming down the drink to drown his worry while Duncan briefly thought before turning to Gwen.

''Marian, go get... ehrm, Harjit! He'll know what to do!'' Duncan sternly yet quietly ordered, and while she didn't like his tone, Gwen immediately walked off as fast as she could.

Even though Gwen had calmed down a little, her heart was still beating painfully hard in her throat, it felt like she was about to vomit. Luckily, she managed to keep it down at least until she found Noah just outside the kitchen.

''Noa- _Harjit_ , we have a big problem!'' Gwen told him, reminding herself at the last moment to use the aliases just a cook passed.

''What?'' Noah replied as he raised an eyebrow, more confused than concerned.

Gwen gulped before speaking, due to nervousness. ''Heather and Alejandro are among the guests!'' She quietly announced to avoid detection.

''Holy, _shit_! What are they doing here?!'' Noah muttered, flinching black slightly from being startled in a rare display of violent anger.

''Dunc- _Nelson_ sent me to get you!''

''Of course. Stay cool, I'm coming along!'' He told Gwen before they both hurried back to the bar. Once there, they saw that Duncan and Geoff were talking to Scarlett, most likely informing her of the situation.

''Is it true?'' Noah asked, after which Duncan merely pointed over

''I thought you'd checked the guest list.'' Scarlett remarked, calm but subtly reprimanding as well.

''We did, _thrice_.'' Noah answered before pondering on the reason why he hadn't seen this coming. ''Alejandro and Heather are diplomats for Spain these days, which means that as representatives, they'd probably have to account for why they'd go to a party of a alleged blood diamond trader. They must've used fake names.'' He eventually deducted.

''That's cool and all, but what do you want us to do with them?!'' Duncan asked, getting impatient for a solution rather than a explanation.

''Hey, _bergies_!'' Mr. Vermaak then suddenly called as he came walking to them. ''Wat are julle waiting for? Serve the guestse! Hulle are thirsty!'' He barked before walking off again.

''Well, they want a party, I say we _give_ them a party.'' Scarlett stoically proposed as Geoff went to work, having noticed that Noah still hadn't thought something up. ''Patrick, make beverages with a good amount of alcohol. The sooner everyone's inebriated and partying in a drunken haze, the less likely they'll be to see through our covers!''

''You got it.'' Geoff replied before selecting the stronger liquids at his disposal and quickly mixed them.

''Good thinking.'' Noah humbly noted, to which Scarlett folded her hands behind her back and smiled contently. ''But because they never met you, and I wonder whether they'll recognize me with my beard and my turban, it's better if you and me linger around Alejandro and Heather to keep them away from Nelson and Marian; just to be sure.'' Noah suggested, pointing at Duncan and Gwen to clarify who he meant again.

''Agreed.'' Scarlett responded with a faint nod shortly before Geoff had finished his first batch of drinks and poured it in glasses.

''You two, stay to the side of the courtyard.'' Noah reiterated as he took a serving tray and walked off, followed by Scarlett on short notice as Geoff went to make a next batch of drinks for Duncan and Gwen.

* * *

About an hour or so later, the party was in full swing. Alcohol and food were lavishly consumed. The guests were vividly talking and sharing stories and a few were even dancing, with Blaineley conspicuously taking center stage.

In the midst of the courtyard, Scarlett was still walking around with a tray full of drinks, occasionally having to dodge wild partygoers walking or dancing in her way, but doing so by effortlessly swaying to the side. She was slowly starting to be bothered by the guests, their less than reputable vibes and their rowdy behavior. At the same time, she came to the conclusion that her presence wouldn't be missed as well, and she quickly headed for Duncan and Gwen, who were stocking the buffet.

''Marian, I think the people are having enough fun to care about two waiters missing.'' She told Gwen, who unsurely looked into the crowd

''I think so too.'' Gwen waveringly answered. ''Should you tell Noah?''

''Noah? Who's Noah?'' Scarlett asked, sounding confused but giving Gwen a rebuking scowl.

''I mean _Harjit_!'' Gwen quickly corrected herself.

''That won't be necessary.'' Scarlett business-like declared before walking off, with Gwen following soon after.

At the van, Scarlett checked if they were being watched and once confirmed that they weren't, pried at the steps on the side of the van and took them off. There, in a hidden compartment behind it, Gwen took the earpieces while Scarlett pulled out the two pistols and offered one of them to Gwen, who held her hands in front of her.

''No thank you. I, I don't think I can even hold it.'' Gwen mumbled, trembling slightly as she didn't know what was worse, giving Scarlett a gun or having one herself.

''Very well.'' Scarlett agreed before she put the spare gun back. She then checked if it was loaded and carefully hid it in her clothes.

''Let's take a few bottles for Patrick with us so we don't look suspicious.'' Scarlett said as they retrieved a few bottles of alcohol and took them back to the party.

* * *

A short while later, Gwen and Scarlett had snuck into the mansion and put the earpieces in and turned them on.

''Cody? Are you there? Can you hear us?'' Gwen whispered.

''Big Brother is watching! Orwell is online!'' Cody eventually responded after a brief period of static, being given an alias as well. [3]

''Orwell?'' Scarlett quietly repeated before she shook her head.

''I can hear you clearly! In fact, I can see you too! There are plenty of security cameras hanging in here!'' Cody assured them, which instead only startled the women as they frantically looked around for where the camera was hanging, knowing that they might be seen by the security.

''Relax, I got you covered! When I hacked into the system, which was very easy by the way! Now, when you approach a camera, I just make a print screen and replace the feed with that image and you can sneak past without having to worry about the cameras!'' Cody pointed out, leaving Gwen slightly confused as she didn't fully understand Cody's explanation.

''But we still have to about the guards...'' Scarlett flatly remarked.

''Yeah- yes.'' Cody mumbled, hoping Scarlett would be impressed with his achievement instead. ''But don't worry! I can see them coming from miles away!''

''Okay, that's reassuring. Where to go?'' Gwen asked.

''Okay, this is kind of awkward. But I have a feed of the diamond vault, but I don't know where it is! The only lead I have is that the only way in is through a thick, double door, but it's not visible on any camera!'' Cody awkwardly declared.

''So we just have to search the entire mansion?'' Gwen flatly asked, while frowning intensely.

''Yeah, kinda.'' Cody sheepishly answered.

Fed up with it all, Gwen didn't care anymore and just rolled her eyes and accepted that it was going nowhere. ''Fine. Let's go.'' She relented before going into the first room, a lavish and stylishly decorated living room in Spanish renaissance style, similar to the mansion itself. Immediately, they noted the plenty of African styled decorations, such as shields, but also plenty of hunting trophies at the wall.

''Ladies, there is a guard coming your way through the hallway. I studied his route and he should only pass the living room and not enter it. But still find a hiding place just to be sure!'' Cody warned. After which Gwen and Scarlett quickly hid behind a couch and a bookshelf respectively. The guard passed and looked into the room, but not only were Gwen and Scarlett hidden well enough, they were properly concealed by the darkness of the room too, and with nothing to see the guard resumed walking almost instantly.

''Let's go.'' Scarlett whispered as Gwen could see her putting her pistol back.

''Thanks Orwell.'' Gwen told him before she followed Scarlett out of the room.

''No prob.'' Cody casually responded as Scarlett asked as she looked around a hallway, one that lead to another courtyard, a lounge and a study. Her senses told her to head for the latter, but they heard footsteps echo through the hallway, coming from the study's direction.

''Don't go left, there's a guard coming.'' Cody remarked, which was redundant as the women were already aware of that.

''To the lounge!'' Gwen whispered as they swiftly yet stealthily rushed over to the room and hid under a pool table and behind the thick curtains. They waited for the guard to pass, remaining quiet as a nun. However, Gwen did get anxious when she saw the guard look into the room and straight at her. As her breathing got heavy, she could only hope that the curtains were indeed thick enough for the guard to see through, or that her breathing wasn't too loud as she tried to quiet it down. To her relief however, the guard soon left without any suspicions.

''Phew!'' Gwen sighed as they came out of their hiding place after the echoes of his footsteps faded out. Scarlett only shot her an unimpressed look before they darted swiftly yet stealthily towards the study while remaining carefully aware of her surroundings. However, Gwen did accidentally bump into an end table she failed to see, but other than a muffled thud, made no noise and hand to consequences.

Scarlett rushed into the study to find it chockfull of bookcases stuffed with all kinds of literature and other documents. While this sight of refined knowledge would usually please Scarlett, she instead immediately went to look for any signs of the vault, of which there were no immediate obvious ones.

''You stay on the lookout, I'll see if I can find any hidden switches or anything. Maybe it's hidden behind one of these bookcases.'' Scarlett ordered as she went through the books delicately.

''A hidden vault? I'm not trying to sound mean but I think you've watched too many movies.'' Gwen remarked as she stood by the door on watch.

''If this man got away with trading blood diamonds, then he'd make sure to properly hide them as well.'' Scarlett deducted shortly before coming to the conclusion that the vault wouldn't be here. She cursed under her breath and venomously eyed the floor.

''Nothing!'' She growled more audibly, of which Gwen took notice. ''Orwell?''

''Yes?'' Cody responded, containing the excitement that Scarlett spoke to him.

''Where would you think the vault is?''

''It's not in the study? Then I doubt the vault is on the ground floor. All the camera feeds I have left of the first floor are multiple angles of the large rooms from. There's no way the vault is in any of those! Try looking upstairs.''

''But where? We'll waste too much time searching every room! There must be some kind of logic as of where the vault is!'' Scarlett grumbled.

''Well, maybe it's peculiar that several rooms don't have any cameras.'' Cody delicately revealed, being slightly afraid to invoke Scarlett's ire.

''Which?'' Gwen asked.

''The walk-in freezer, obviously. The bathrooms, very obviously. And I've got several bedrooms, but not the master bedroom.''

''The master bedroom! That's where we need to go! Think of it, you store your wealth right next to where you sleep so that no one can get to it unnoticed during the night!'' Scarlett deducted.

''Figures.'' Gwen casually replied, rolling her eyes.

''Oh yeah, one thing I noted; All the doors on the second floor are closed. Keep that in mind to avoid the guards' attention.'' Cody added.

''Good call.''

* * *

The woman backtracked through the large mansion and found a set of stairs onto the second floor gallery a short while later.

''Careful, two guards cross each other below you. They probably can't see you, but stay quiet because they may be able to hear you!'' Cody announced. And no three seconds later, two guards indeed met each other. Just to be sure, Scarlett and Gwen hid behind a few column in wait for the guards to pass.

''Let's go!'' Gwen whispered as the woman already shuffled forward. Perhaps Gwen wasn't silent enough as one guard shot a leeway glance up to the gallery, but didn't bat much of an eye to it.

However, a large grandfather clock was seconds away from striking midnight and neither Scarlett nor Gwen were aware of it, or even aware of the clock's presence. As it stroke midnight, both women were taken by surprise and flinched, Gwen more so that Scarlett as the former's head appeared from behind the pillar. The guards looked up to the sound of the clock, initially unfazed. But one of the guards spotted Gwen moving back behind the column as the veil of darkness wasn't thick enough for her to hide in once the guard started paying full attention.

''What- who's there?!'' Said guard threateningly yelled, greatly surprised as Gwen quickly shuffled back behind the pillar again, hoping that the guard would start to doubt what he saw.

''What?'' The other guard, confused but alert.

''I saw a woman!'' The other guard declared before hurrying off to the stairs, cementing Gwen's fear as now two guards were running to their location. Gwen was ready to make a mad dash for a room to hide in, but Scarlett thought quickly and pulled her along with her.

''No, don't run! They'll hear us! Hide in that nook!'' Scarlett quickly directed as the guards' footsteps echoed through the silent house while the women squeezed themselves into a empty nook that was out of sight for anyone not paying attention.

As the guards stood close to where they were hidden, Gwen shook in fear, but Scarlett had drawn her gun and resolutely had taken aim. If the guards were to meet Scarlett's gaze, they'd meet death.

''She was right here, behind the pillar!'' The guard claimed, pointing at the very spot.

''Search the rooms!'' His colleague said as they took out small automatic rifles and split up to search the rooms.

''No one in these bedrooms!'' One guard shouted after a short while of searching.

''No one in the boss's bedroom either!'' The other guard replied, sounding as if he was in a room at the far end of the gallery. Both Gwen and Scarlett raised their eyebrows in surprise. If they remained unseen, then at least than being spotted hasn't been entirely for nothing.

The guards returned a tense minute later, disappointed and dejected. ''Nothing.''

''I swear I saw a woman here. Sometimes I think this place is haunted!''

''The previous owner did commit suicide.'' The other guard casually remarked as they left.

''Not helping, Paul.''

After their footsteps had completely faded out, Gwen and Scarlett crawled out of the nook and immediately headed over to the far room and were pleased to find what they were searching for, a large, sturdy door with a code pad next to it.

''Orwell, I think we've found it.'' Gwen told Cody as Scarlett stood in front of the code pad and examined it while Gwen closed the door.

''Cool!'' Cody chirped.

''Cody, can you hack the system to break the code?'' Scarlett requested.

''If I could, I would've done it already. But the security system may have more holes than a sieve, but the vault is a separate system and a tough one with that!'' Cody revealed, to Scarlett's annoyance.

''I have no tools at hand to hack it myself. I could try to hotwire the system, but that may permanently break it and that will compromise our secrecy! And it's especially out of the question that we just insert random combinations. It's pointless to try and maybe we could set off an alarm! '' Scarlett pondered, mentally struggling with a solution as Gwen's mind drifted off towards the presence of the numerous African decorations and paraphernalia, like they saw often around the house.

On a dressier, she noted plenty of tribal statuettes and remembered that Leshawna has been really interested in her African roots lately and Gwen was considering to take something for her as a gift.

However, as she pondered whether to take one and which one if so, both Gwen and Scarlett were greatly startled by muffled footsteps and talking coming from the hallway and closing in on them quickly.

''Oh, Rudy!'' A female voice came from the hallway, startling both Gwen and Scarlett.

''It's pronounced _Ruud_ , liefling!'' Mr. Vermaak responded.

''Hide!'' Scarlett wheezed as she went to hide in a walk-in closet while Gwen, in a hurry, choose to dive under the bed. They both hid themselves just in time before the door swung open and Blaineley and Mr. Vermaak came barging into the room and dove straight onto the bed and made out as Gwen creaked in terror as she was literally hiding under someone's nose, and wasn't sure how long she'd remain undetected.

After a short while, Blaineley and Mr. Vermaak's lips parted. ''Now die most men want young, skelm women; the _bakvissies,_ you know? But ek prefer my wines nicely riped! You're an _antie_ with beautiful _anties_!'' Mr. Vermaak explained with subtly increasing lust.

''Oh Ruud you're so rude!'' Blaineley purred. Despite not understanding a good amount of what Mr. Vermaak just said, she was so enamored with him that they resumed making out intensely for another period of time. The bed they laid on creaked violently as Gwen no longer felt terrified, but rather incredibly awkward as she laid under a couple doing something she rather not know the fine details of.

Another while later, the creaking and making out stopped as Scarlett could see Blaineley and Mr. Vermaak getting up again and straightening up their outfits.

''That was great!'' Mr. Vermaak complimented before he headed over to the vault.

''The feeling was mutual dear!'' Blaineley suavely purred.

Scarlett's eyes widened. She could hear and see Mr. Vermaak entering the code to the vault, but to her frustration she could not actually see what the code was, nor how the vault looked like from the inside. Mr. Vermaak took what he needed and shut the door again.

''Oh Ruud, it's so pretty!'' Blaineley cooed as Mr. Vermaak presented her a cut diamond.

''Take it! Put it on a ring! It's a gift!'' Mr. Vermaak announced.

''Thank you dear! You're the best!'' Blaineley cooed as she threw herself in his arms and kissed once more before leaving the room. Moments later, Gwen and Scarlett came out of their hiding place.

''That was… embarrassing.'' Gwen mumbled.

''Bless yourself. At least you couldn't _see_ it!'' Scarlett replied, miffed. ''Even worse, that peepshow lead to nothing useful! He opened the vault briefly but I haven't seen anything of the combination!''

''But I have!'' Gwen announced, to Scarlett's surprise. Gwen went to the code pad and inserted the combination.

''11-02-19-91!'' Gwen said as she inserted said digits, and indeed the vault opened again. The women briefly looked at the cut diamonds inside, neatly organized by size and carats. The twinkle the woman had in their eyes matched the shimmer of the diamonds. [4]

''Good, we found what we were after. Let's go back.'' Gwen formally declared, being the first to snap out of the diamonds' mesmerizing glow.

''Very well.'' Scarlett agreed before they closed the vault and carefully but swiftly headed back to the party.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the party, Noah was idly walking around with a tray to offer the guests a drink. However, the party had progressed into a phase that the guests were loosened up enough by the alcohol that they haven't had much of an eye for the waiters anymore, just as predicted. Noah's eye did fall on Gwen and Scarlett leaving the mansion, and Noah soon realized that he hadn't seen them in a while already. Angry with them disobeying the plan, he stomped over to the women to reprimand them.

''Are you nuts?! Have you gone into the mansion already without my knowledge or consent?'' Noah angrily hissed.

''I know, but would it matter if we found the vault? And acquired the entry code?'' Scarlett calmly interrupted him.

''Yes- no, but this lack of communication could've compromised us all!'' Noah sputtered as Gwen spotted Geoff behind the bar, looking dejected with a few empty glasses around him. Concerned, she left Noah and Scarlett behind to head over to him.

''Geoff, what's wrong?'' Gwen asked, purposefully dropping the alias rule for a moment.

''I'm struggling.'' Geoff lamented as he rested his body on the bar.

''What?! How?'' Gwen practically shouted.

''I've conquered my past alcoholism, but I've been fighting myself all night to keep from just chugging down the whole bar from all the stress!'' Geoff moaned before submitting to drinking another glass.

''Oh my-'' Gwen gasped as she choked up, feeling like a bad person for neglecting Geoff's past problems while she could've easily known. ''I'm so sorry Geoff! Why didn't you say anything?''

''I wanted to, but I can't, like, risk the entire plan just because I have had some problems, right?'' Geoff hesitantly answered.

''Geoff, nothing should stop you from speaking up!'' Gwen firmly assured him. ''I was about to quit all this before we even began because even if I wanted so badly to get back at Chris, I felt like Noah hasn't been honest with me! I got my way because I gave him a piece of my mind! And so should you! What if we never did against Heather back in camp?''

''I guess you're right!'' Geoff replied as a carefully confident smile grew back on his face.

''Patrick, prepare a load of drinks. We're going to haul in the stones in a few minutes!'' Duncan announced to Geoff as he went to the van.

''Thanks brah!'' Geoff thanked Gwen as he went to work on making as much drinks as possible.

* * *

Just like Duncan told, the guys had snuck into the mansion a few minutes later, Duncan and Geoff being armed with pistols while Noah somewhat oddly carried two cooler bags.

''What's with the ice bags?'' Duncan asked after a mocking snort.

''To properly hide the _figurative_ ice between literal ice.'' Noah casually explained.

''Makes sense.'' Duncan shrugged, rolling his eyes.

''Okay guys, I'll lead you through the mansion. It'll be a synch! The stairs are nearby and the guards are not!'' Cody assured them.

''Man, I don't get it. Why does this guy have such heavy security?'' Geoff wondered as the three snuck off.

''I have a clue Patrick, but I'm not sure.'' Noah answered.

As the men were out to acquire the take, Gwen and Scarlett were left to fend for the guests. However, the guests were having plenty of fun with each other and Geoff had made many drinks in advance, so both Gwen and Scarlett honestly didn't expect much trouble.

However, they did start to get severely ticked off by the gaudy behavior of some guests. As they were walking around with drinks the women noted that they were being eyed rather lustfully, which wasn't difficult to see at all because the guests didn't make a secret out of it. in fact, as Scarlett passed a certain guest, he groped her butt. She yelped and flinched back in alarm and she venomously glared back a said guest. Scarlett was so angry, she wanted to punish the patron in such unimaginably inhumane ways for this humiliating gesture, but she couldn't; It would cause too much attention.

Meanwhile, Gwen concernedly looked on from a distance, worried for Scarlett's emotions. However, she failed to see where she was going and walked straight into a guest.

''Excuse me. I-'' Gwen absentmindedly apologized as she didn't care to see who she actually bumped in to.

''You better be, you dumb broad!'' The female guest replied, and Gwen tensed up as it was a familiar voice from long time ago, one she wished to never hear again. Gwen cast a good look and realized that she had walked into one of the guests she hoped to avoid all night; Heather.

Gwen was to quickly leave and hope that Heather wouldn't notice, but Heather stopped her flight by grabbing her shoulder as she did find a certain familiarity as their faces met.

''Hey, do I know you? You look familiar!'' Heather suspiciously asked, not fully recognizing Gwen due to the latter's lack of hair dye, which Heather had never seen Gwen without.

''I doubt it. I don't really know you.'' Gwen nervously answered, trying her best to make her voice sound different.

From a distance, Scarlett took notice as well and realized that this could get ugly. However, she also knew that rushing in to get Gwen out of there wasn't going to curb Heather's suspicions.

''Sê, ek hired five waiters, where are the ander?'' Scarlett could hear Mr. Vermaak mumble, making the situation dire on several fronts. She looked around for a solution, and only found the occasional lustful glare from the drunk guests. Despite the seeming irrelevance, Scarlett got an idea. Though, she wasn't pleased at all to commit to it.

At the same time, Cody observed the camera feeds for possible threats when he stumbled upon the feed of the mansion's courtyard, and he almost tumbled backwards out of his chair when he saw what was going on there.

''Oh wow!'' Cody yelped in surprise.

''What?'' Noah asked, greatly startled by Cody's sudden shout.

''Marie is dancing on a table! Seductively if I may add!'' Cody answered as he watched Scarlett do just that. She slowly swayed her body and entrancingly ran her hands over her body in the only ways she knew. Despite her lack of firsthand experience, she earned the unbridled attention of all the guests, if deeply unwillingly so, and it allowed a opportunity to buy the men a few minutes as well as for Gwen to get away from Heather, who too eyed Scarlett in vainglory as opposed to lust like many other guests.

''That's great.'' Noah cynically mumbled, rolling his eyes at Cody's hormonally occupied mind. ''We've just entered the master bedroom, so keep your Johnson in your pants and your eyes on the inside of the house!''

''Yeah- yes of course!'' Cody stammered as Noah shook his head in disapproval. He then walked over to the vault and inserted the code.

''Remember, we don't need a lot. Just grab a few handfuls and let's get out of here!'' Noah told them as the door slowly opened.

* * *

Fortunately for Scarlett, her moment of disgrace would soon be ending. From the side, Blaineley was watching, envious with Scarlett being the center of attention. She then stepped in and worked Scarlett off the table to take her place and quickly overdo it. Scarlett didn't mind though, she was more than content that someone else was humiliating herself to a object for her goals.

''Are you okay?'' Gwen asked as she rushed by to help Scarlett up.

''I bruised nothing but my honor.'' Scarlett grumbled as she was helped up and dusted herself off. ''Let's avoid attention for a little while as she objectifies herself.'' She suggested as they eyed Blaineley, who had rolled her dress down and dancing with her breasts bare.

''Yeah, good idea.'' Gwen agreed.

As the women lounged around the bar for a little while, the men returned from their venture into the mansion.

''We got the _ice_.'' Duncan announced to the ladies as he and Geoff carried one cooler bag each. Once again, there was a contrast in the experienced emotions with the women. Gwen was smiling faintly, knowing that the hardest part of the heist had been concluded. But Scarlett on the other hand remained stoic aside from a slight affirming nod, aware that emotions could arouse suspicion, and that it wasn't over until it was over.

''I also took one of the statues as you requested.'' Noah informed Gwen, which made Scarlett raise an eyebrow.

''Thank you!'' Gwen quietly but warmly told him.

''Don't mention it.'' Noah uninterestedly shrugged before he walked off to help stash the diamonds.

Now, Gwen could probably never share with Leshawna how she personally enacted revenge for her, but she could at least gift her something to substitute for it.

It was close to 3 AM, peace had returned a little and the guests were tired out from all the partying. Many were either about to leave, some already had and a few were in the bathroom, vomiting the alcohol out of their system.

One of the few guests at the party remaining sober all the while were Alejandro, Heather and the host Mr. Vermaak. Noah took note that the three were about to have a conversation and he inched within hearing distance, curious as of the topic discussed.

''Mr. Vermaak, we are honored that you could spare the time to listen to our proposal!''

''Vertel.'' Mr. Vermaak replied as he inched closer, allowing Alejandro to lower the tone of his voice.

''You see, we're affiliated with a certain group back in Spain aiming to allow their home region to… _walk a different path_ from the rest of the country, and they're in need of money fast.'' Alejandro professionally stated. Despite keeping his voice down, Noah could still comprehend what they said.

''I see.''

''However, we as official diplomats for the government in Madrid can't just hand them money directly. But word is out that you have a way to move paper without the paper trial!'' Heather continued just as qualified.

''Ek is familiar with that reputation.''

''Good, so we'd like to _invest_ in you so-'' Alejandro resumed until Noah choose to leave, having heard enough and not wanting to make his presence known to the men.

* * *

Another hour later, the party was practically over and the crew was allowed to leave. The whole time, everyone, even Scarlett were under pressure. They got this far and almost anything could still stop them when they were all but over the finish line as they had packed their equipment and were allowed to exit the courtyard and disappeared.

Once they were out onto the street, it remained uneasily quiet for a short while.

''We didn't just actually knock someone off, didn't we?'' Gwen numbly asked, breaking the silence.

''I think we just did.'' Geoff answered, still dazed. ''Yeah, we actually did it!'' He added, now much more self-assured as the vibe slowly became more positive.

''Man, what a rush!'' Duncan vividly declared. Meanwhile, Gwen, who was still wondering whether her hands were still shaking from fright or from excitement, came to the conclusion of the latter.

''After everything's said and done, it feels pleasant!'' Scarlett humbly agreed, a slight smile forming.

''That is, until he finds out and hunts us down!'' Geoff realistically countered, souring the mood again.

''I doubt he will!'' Noah announced, bearing a confident smile. ''Because I think even if he finds out, we won't dare to call the cops!''

''What makes you so confident of that?'' Scarlett inquired.

''Our friend Mr. Vermaak isn't a simple diamond dealer anymore, he _launders money_ , and great sums of it too! You remember many of the less reputable guests? Those are criminals that use his services. Alejandro wants to too, I overheard a conversation. It also explains why he has diamonds at home instead of at a bank. If he was to call the cops to report the robbery, he'd most likely be arrested himself sooner or later!''

''So we're getting away with it?'' Gwen asked.

''I'm sure of that!'' Noah answered as they approached their garage after a long night and a difficult operation. Now that the hardest part was behind them, only a few small things needed to be taken care off before everyone went their own ways again.

Gwen once again got lost in her thoughts. She felt conflicted that she felt overjoyed, and blessed to get away with doing something illegal. However, she quickly reminded herself that this was what she agreed to, and that it was a acceptable target to rob, so she banished the conflict out of her mind and instead bashed in the ecstasy of doing it, like everyone else.

* * *

 **Please tell me whether I did that right or not!**

 **[1] Geoff's alias is a reference to a main character and his actor from the movie Point Break, which is also about a group undertaking robberies!**

 **[2] This peculiar duo is a nod to Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd from the novel and movie Diamonds Are Forever.**

 **[3] Cody carries the name Orwell after writer George Orwell, who notably wrote the book 1984. How he introduces himself and his task of monitoring the cameras is somewhat of a reference to said book as well.**

 **[4] The entrance code is the date of a glorious day in recent South African history.**

 **So, what did you think about that? They actually did it!**

 **Tell us what you think, what you liked or what not in a review! We'll gladly receive both!**

 **See you next update!**

 **:D,**

 **Applauze and L.W.**


	6. Calm After The Storm

_**Prachtig! Die volgene**_ **\- Ahem, last chapter's Afrikaans stuck around with me for a bit!**

 **Applauze: Why yes, it could be! Maybe I choose Marie for Scarlett as somewhat of a reference, or perhaps even a distant foreshadowing! :DD**

 **Liz The Sweet Writer: Oh we will! Thank you!**

 **Jster1983: That depends whether any of them ends up in their crosshairs!**

 **Joel Connor: They already crossed legal lines when they agreed to this grand plan. Only time will tell whether they start to cross moral lines!**

 **Pxperscars: I always hope to properly research and represent my locations! It can be a pain, but it's worth it! It does wonders for the accuracy and you learn something to boot!**

 **Sdgeek: There wasn't much more sensible we could do with them anymore I'm afraid, but you liked the heist, so that's great to hear!**

 **Now, we present you this jointly written little chapter so soon after the previous one as a little appetizer and maybe a favor for sticking around this long! Read away!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Calm After The Storm**

* * *

Noah's last orders of business as part of their first ever heist was to disperse, not to mention any of their heinous undertaking and not to come back until he contacted them. Duncan, Geoff, and Gwen had took off back to begin their travels back home, but Noah needed Scarlett for one last task, so she joined him to his apartment with the diamonds to appraise them to find out what price Noah and Cody could ask before they were to sell the diamonds through their contacts, after which the money would be laundered and their shares would be deposited onto their accounts in due time without any risks involved or questions asked.

Cody came into the living room with his duffel bag and saw Scarlett looking over the diamonds. "Not gone yet?" He asked.

Scarlett put down the glasses she was using to examine the diamonds. "I'm afraid not. Noah asked me to stay and see how much these diamonds could fetch."

"That explains why we couldn't pocket the diamonds ourselves." Cody added.

"Precisely. I mean, I've seen a lot of diamonds before, but never so relatively many that were blood red, the rarest one of all." Scarlett pointed out. Cody sat down next to her and picked up one of the diamonds. They were the reddest of all Red's, redder than fresh apples picked in the spring, redder than Scarlett's hair.

Ever since he saw her seductively dance, Cody was smitten with Scarlett. He already had a certain affection for her, but his hormones now made him see her in a sexy way and he just wanted to charm her with his flirting skills, but before he could think of what to say, he mumbled quietly, "Yeah, red as in your flaming red hair."

"What was that?" Scarlett asked. She hoped he wasn't trying to flirt with her since she had high standards, and flirtation was not one of those said standards. Unfortunately, she was almost certain he _was_.

Cody quickly replied, "Nothing."

"That's what I thought."

They sat in silence for a little while and Cody left to use the bathroom. When he left, Scarlett shook her head. She didn't know what was up with him wanting to be cozy around her, but she was going to put a stop to it before it began, even if she had to get the whoop ass machine out.

When Cody came back from the bathroom, he saw Scarlett frequently typing numbers into an adding machine and write a number down on a separate piece of paper. "How much are they worth?" He asked.

"I hope your talking about the diamonds and not something else." She flatly added, noting the angle Cody's eyes were pointed at.

"Of course that's what I meant!" Cody casually answered. To Scarlett's ire, she couldn't read whether he spoke the truth, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, based on my calculations in terms of carat, diamond size, diamond color, and quantity, I say that we have about a million dollars worth right here."

"A million dollars?" Cody asked. "Did I hear that correctly?"

"You did, but don't get your hopes up. When split through six, it's not that impressive. Additionally, Noah wants to hold onto a share so we have a fund for the next heist." Scarlett replied. "It won't be until we successfully do the our ultimate goal that we will earn enough to never care about money again, given that we don't waste it all on frivolities and extreme decadence." She added before putting the diamonds within a safety deposit box and locked it up.

"Well, that's that for now. I'm about to go home and indulge in Austrian literature for a while and figure some important things out."

"And that are those things meant to be?" Cody curiously asked, rolling his head in a similar fashion.

"You may find out in due time." Scarlett stoically answered.

Cody just sighed as he sat while Scarlett cleaned up Noah's coffee table. He kept rubbing his hands together, which gave Scarlett the impression that he was nervous about something, something that he wanted to say. But when he didn't speak any, Scarlett almost lost her cool. "Oh Science! I know you have something to say! Just say it already!"

While he was taken back by her sudden outburst, he ignored her rather angry scorn as he started to speak. "Well Scarlett, here's the thing. While you guys were out taking the diamonds, I happen to caught your dancing on camera and well, the way that your body moved brought so much lust and passion into me. If Noah hadn't gotten me back to reality, I'd watch you dance as I unzip my pants and took out my-"

"Alright. Stop right there." Scarlett quickly said as she shook the look of disgust off her face. "Don't go any further."

Her face turned to anger as she pointed her finger at him. "How dare you objectify me. The only reason why I danced was to save our asses from being caught, and as a result, my pride has been hurt. Look, I don't know what you're trying to get out of me but unless you want your legs cut off and dangling in the streets with the gypsies, I suggest you don't flirt with me. Period."

Cody was stunned into silence. He didn't know what to say. He was confused and puzzled by her sudden outburst. "Scarlett, if you just let me explain-"

"No I will not let you explain." She replied as she quickly collected her cool again. "Look, I don't want to say anything that could hurt you, either mentally or physically. Just go home and think about what you said."

"And?"

"And then, you may realize what made me so angry. You have to understand that I'm not like most women in society. I have different standards than what you may have. Keep that mind, okay?"

"Alright. I will." Cody said as he got his bag and headed to the door. "I'll see you later Scarlett. Take care."

"You too." Scarlett added while he went out the door. She sat there for a moment before sighing. She was well known for losing her cool, but she was proud that she held herself together, but at the same time, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind so badly. The only reason why she stopped herself was for the sake of the team and future heists. There had to be unity, she believed, or else the whole thing would fall to pieces.

Without much hesitation, she grabbed her car keys and started down the parking garage before heading home, being one of the few that lived within driving distance.

As she drove home, she reminded herself that harmony was not the key ingredient to success. Scarlett got particularly frustrated with the unprofessional mistakes her fellow teammates made; Noah failing to inform the rest of the change of plans, his cluelessness on what to do when Alejandro and Heather arrived or lack of a backup plan with to draw attention which made her having to resort to her demeaning dance. Mistakes that under less adequate circumstances would've ruined the whole plan and landed her and the rest another sentence.

Yet, she also knew that this was everyone's first, even her own. The inexperience and the nerves accounted for a large amount for the cause of the faults. As such, she came to the conclusion that she shouldn't hold it against them, but she wouldn't tolerate many more errors for the heist that were to come. But she was certain that if she took charge next time, that that wouldn't be a problem anymore.

* * *

A few days had past since the heist and Gwen was all but glad to be back home. Her nerves had settled down and the whole undertaking was slowly becoming but a memory as she patiently waited for her cut. While the risk paid off so far, she wanted nothing more than to be within the security of her own life. She had seen her mother and brother, and it felt wonderful getting to spend time with them. But now, she was heading to a certain someone's house to surprise them.

Gwen hadn't seen Leshawna in quite sometime and she was going to surprise her best friend with a surprise visit. She pulled up to her apartment and as she got out the car, grabbed the small party bag that had the statuette in it. While she felt happy stealing this, she hoped that Leshawna would enjoy it and not ask too many questions about it. If so, she already had a story made up just in case.

She knocked on the door and heard Leshawna's familiar, "Just a minute stringbean" greeting. When the door opened, Leshawna squealed as she saw her best friend.

"Oh my gosh!" She yelled before she briefly pulled Gwen into a tight hug. "I wasn't expecting this! This is a wonderful surprise! Come in!"

"Thanks." Gwen replied while she came in. "I came back yesterday and wanted to surprise you."

"Darl you did! And to think, skinny tadpole also surprised me!"

Gwen didn't know what she meant until she went into the living room and saw Harold sitting on the couch. Harold and Gwen greeted each other before they went to sit down. "What's that you got in your hand?" Leshawna asked.

"Oh it's a gift I bought you while I was in Vancouver." Gwen replied.

"Girl, you didn't had too. I would've been fine without one."

"I know, but I saw it, and knew you had to have it."

Harold asked as he leaned forward in curiosity, eyeing the gift. "Well, what is it?"

"You'll see." Gwen added while she gave Leshawna the bag. Leshawna opened the bag and saw that it was covered in newspapers. She threw all the paper out and felt something at the bottom. When she pulled it out, the breath left her body as she looked at the nicest thing a single person ever gave her. It was a small African statuette with two people made from ebony and ivory and wearing tribal clothes made out of gold. It looked like a find of the century from archeological movies, and there wasn't any noise in the room for a few moments until Leshawna spoke again.

"Where did you get this?" She asked with faint tears in her eyes.

"I found it in an antique shop. It made me think of you and your African roots so I knew I had to buy it, but it was out of my price range. So I spoke to the owner and he was so impressed that he allowed me to buy it at a lower price. I know it may be too much, but I just couldn't bare the thought of you not having it." Gwen replied cooly.

"Girl, this has to be the best gift anyone has gave me." Leshawna croaked while fighting to hold back tears. "Thank you."

She hugged Gwen while she sobbed. Gwen felt amazing on the inside. She had avenged Leshawna and made her feel proud and her reaction to the statuette even surprised her, but at the same time, she felt slightly guilty for lying. If Leshawna ever found out the truth, she would probably be furious as to what she had done, so Gwen decided to keep it a secret, even to her dying day.

After the girls parted and Leshawna wiped her eyes dry, Harold picked up the statuette. "This looks almost too good to be true. I've only seen African art like this in either private hands or in museum collections."

"Well it was a lucky find." Gwen added, cocking her head slightly. "It screamed Leshawna as soon as I saw it."

"But I'm glad my Lady is happy with it. If she's happy than I'm happy." Harold remarked.

"Girl, how can I ever thank you?" Leshawna asked.

"Oh you don't need to. That's what best friends are for." Gwen replied casually, yet with a warm smile.

"Alright, if you insist, but I promise you that karma will repay your kindness someday or my name isn't Leshawna." She promised.

But Gwen had no need for that, Leshawna's joy was reward enough for her, and pleasing someone like this made all the guilt and stress of that particular past week worthwhile.

* * *

Months passed, it was in the dead of winter and as there had not been a single sign of Mr. Vermaak at all, Noah's prediction turned out to be true, at least the parts where he wouldn't seek out his stolen property.

After the heist, Noah dropped his alias and slowly went back into the public eye, resuming what he acquired his fame with; Participating in reality TV shows and contests. Noah rather would've followed a prestigious education, but his older siblings drained all the money his parents saved up so he ended up doing this. It wasn't the ideal life for Noah, but it amply paid the bills and he went to all kinds of places.

Like how he had gone snowy Whistler to partake in Celebrity Slalom Skiing with Owen, who he had remained good friends with over the years and routinely teamed up with for these shows. Noah wouldn't admit it, but being with his friend is what made competing in these competitions bearable.

As they slid down a slope, they both came to a halt and decided to take a short break.

''I know I had trouble following the instructor, but this isn't as hard for me anymore!'' Owen gladly remarked as he removed his skiing goggles.

''Because that instructor talked about pizzas and French fries and your mind drifted off, or not?'' Noah asked with a knowing smirk.

''Of course!'' Owen jollily agreed.

''At least when we're skiing we don't have to look at that Clay Lennon's smug head.'' Noah grumbled, referring to the host of the show and a TV personality more important than both Noah and Owen.

''There are worse hosts out there, right?''

''Doubt it. It was either him or Topher Fontaine. but Topher's career hit rock-bottom after that series of scandals.'' Noah stated.

''Topher Fontaine? Wasn't he once on Total Drama too?'' Owen confusedly wondered.

'' _Once_ is the right word. He was Chris's ass-kisser before he tried to take over as host of Total Drama before he was personally removed. But he was persistent, he climbed up the ladder and became the TV star he was up until last month. I worked with him a few times, he's a charismatic but all the more a proud and incredibly selfish douchebag. He should've seen it coming from a mile away.'' Noah explained as callously as his experience with Topher.

''It's sad to see how fast everything goes with people like that.' 'Owen shook his head.

''Ambition and greed does that to you Owen.'' Noah casually told him as Noah looked down at Whistler below, and happened to note Whistler's main bank.

''Can you believe the show got us our own slope, especially during this time of year where they're usually packed? It's awesome!'' Owen cheered as he struggled to put his goggles back on. ''I'm going for another spin! See you later Noah!'' Owen told him as he was ready to ski off while Noah's focus remained pried on the bank. ''Noah?'' Owen confusedly asked when he got no response.

''Hmm?'' Noah looked over his shoulder and noted that Owen was greeting him. ''Oh- See you later!'' He called as Owen left and Noah trained his eyes on the town below again.

Whistler was a rich town, especially during the winter when it attracts wealthy tourists and skiers. It's basically Canada's answer to Aspen. Noah hadn't fully realized this yet and it proved an opportunity, but he had to take several things in consideration first. He stood there on the edge of the slope, looking down at the village at the foot of the mountain and the surrounding area, lost in thoughts and calculations. He then snapped several photos with his smartphone and went back to skiing as well.

Later, when he had the opportunity and the privacy of his own hotel room to do so, he went on his laptop and relayed a message.

'Chosen next target. Meet me at home base.'

-N

* * *

 **And Bam! We have our next case!**

 **We know Duncan and Geoff didn't get any focus, but to be frank; We simply couldn't thought anything up that can't be explored later on, or would be of** **any value!**

 **Now, you've read what the next target is going to be, we'd say slowly get excited for the next chapter!**

 **:D,**

 **Applauze and L.W.**


	7. Casing The Piggy Bank

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **We took a short break to both work on other things, but we're back alright!**

 **Applauze: That makes a co-write so nice! We may not be able to do everything, but working on it together gives you a little more possibilities to work with! It may sound really sappy like how I put it, but it's the truth!**

 **SdGeek: Well, life goes on for everyone right? Whether they turned to robbery or had the luck to resume their lives in relative anonymity! It's just so fun to fantasize about little irrelevant things like these! Besides, if you loved that, you'll find another reason to enjoy this chapter!**

 **Codammy Forever: Everyone seems to wonder why Cody and Noah are into all of this. I can only hope the answers satisfy! Also, we have the basic outlines for the story drawn out already, but we'll see if we can fit them in our own plots and plans.**

 **Joel Connor: It was a pretty short and rather easy chapter, and even then Applauze wrote the greater half of it so those two factors combined equal a quick update! Well, like they said, they had their reasons to only take a few diamonds, and who knows how high the quality of those diamonds actually are? What matters however is that they pulled it off and gained valuable experience! Speaking of diamonds however, have to admit that I made a pretty big error there:**

 **It was repeatedly stated that Mr. Vermaak deals in blood diamonds, right? Blood diamonds are by definition diamonds that are mined in warzones to fund them. I instead believed that they referred to diamonds mined under slavish conditions, and while that often happens too, the definition I used as well as the story behind them are simply incorrect, as South Africa had no known business with blood diamonds.**

 **With that out of the way, I hope you can forgive me!**

 **So, like it's written above, we took a break to work on our separate stories but now we're back to resume with this as well! Read away!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Casing The Piggy Bank**

* * *

A plane touched down in Vancouver, where the morning sun cast a gentle glow on the snow-covered city.

Contrary to the last time she came here, Gwen felt remarkably better. To say she felt good was a little inappropriate, but she felt at ease for she knew what she was in for now. Despite that, Noah remained vague in his plans so far, though she did understand he was being cautious. The only thing that she was told was that she should pack primarily winter clothes, which wasn't that odd given the strong winter they were in.

She quickly bought a newspaper to read during the ride to Noah's apartment and headed out to the taxi. Outside, she quickly managed to fetch a cab and began reading. Despite knowing that inspiration for paintings could come from anywhere, Gwen once again failed to take notice of the great vista outside as she searched for articles that'd arouse her interests.

Shortly after reading about topics that she couldn't care less about, her eyes wandered onto a face she never met, but recognized from her reality show days.

'' _Star gymnast Sky Cheechow qualifies for next year's Olympics with stellar performance. Expected to win several medals. Already a hero among Cree communities._ '' Gwen quietly repeated as she read the corresponding article, recalling seeing Sky on a past season of Total Drama.

Gwen was actually pretty fond of Sky. She was level-headed, competitive yet still very amiable. Gwen felt so sorry for her when 'Davegate' occurred where Sky was accusing of using Dave to get ahead in the show, it reminded her of the Gwuncan scandal she was a part of herself. Fortunately for Sky, it died down quickly and Sky didn't return on the show for it to be exploited as she resumed her rigorous gymnastics training, which clearly paid off. Happy for her success, Gwen cast a small smile as she turned the page, where a contradictorily concerning message was waiting for her.

'' _Former Total Drama contestant killed in meth lab raid_.'' Gwen read, and immediately she grew to suspect who was involved.

'' _A meth lab near Gull Lake, Saskatchewan was raided by the local authorities. The tenants attacked and the police returned fire with deadly result, killing everyone involved. Among the six casualties was Scott O'Malley, a former participant from the reality game show Total Drama. After his last appearance, O'Malley fell into a spiral of drug use and manufacturing due to poverty and alleged depression. O'Malley was thought by the police to be a key figure in the ongoing gang war for control over the meth distribution that has plagued the region for the past years_.''

Gwen laid the newspaper down and let the news sink in. One past Total Drama contestants is going to the Olympics, the other died in a life of poverty and crime. She was confronted with how thin the line was between life and death, success and failure. She could only try to imagine how well or poorly all those other dozens and dozens of fellow veterans have fared with their lives.

* * *

Shortly after, the cab dropped Gwen off at Noah's apartment. She entered Noah's apartment, only finding Cody and Noah already present, the latter using his laptop.

''Oh man, I'd have _loved_ that.'' Cody mumbled as he read an online article about Heather embarking on a career in jazz music. [1]

''Hey.'' Gwen casually greeted.

''Oh, hey Gwen!'' Cody cheerfully replied while Noah indifferently nodded his head.

It remained awkwardly quiet between the three for a short while. It only remained short because the remaining three crew members entered on short notice.

''Geoff! Hey!'' Gwen kindly greeted as she warmly embraced him.

''Hey brah!'' Geoff humbly responded, though clearly happy to see her as well.

''Are we all ready? Good, take a seat around the idiot box!'' Noah commanded. As everyone seated themselves around the television, Noah went to stand in front of it.

''Given that we haven't heard anything from our previous undertaking, we can safely conclude that it was a great success!'' Noah began on a positive note as the other crew members murmured agreeably. However, this stopped when Scarlett audibly scoffed, clearly not agreeing with Noah's assumption.

''However, the time to bask in our victory has past and now we should focus on our next target!'' Noah continued despite or perhaps because of taking note of Scarlett. He turned on the television, and the other crew members were treated to another slideshow of pictures. ''This is the main bank in Whistler. During the highpoint of the winter sports season, there is a large amount of money stored there. So much in fact that during this period, a money transport picks up cash twice a week and brings it to a reserve. Either the bank or the transport are good targets.'' He continued explaining as pictures of a money transport and a satellite image of the region popped up.

''What I want you to do is check when the money transport leaves on both days, where it can possibly be ambushed and whether dirt bikes or snowmobiles are more ideal as escape vehicles. If the money transport proves to be less than ideal, I want you to shift your focus on the bank and any way how we can rob it!'' Noah concluded his initial explanation.

''Four of you go as foreign tourists and stay in a bungalow park overlooking the town!'' He then continued after switching to another photograph of a beautiful vista of Whistler.

''We? Why not you?'' Gwen asked after noticing Noah's choice of words.

''I've just came from there, and I'm a public figure again. If I visit Whistler again so shortly after shooting a TV show there, people will start asking questions we can't possibly answer. I'll come by when the time's right.'' Noah explained before he turned to Geoff.

''A vacation to Whistler? Sweet!'' Geoff called, almost starting to sound as carelessly fun loving like he once was.

''Not you Geoff. I want you to go get a job at a nearby trucking depot. They are looking for drivers to get lumber from up north.'' Noah instructed, to Geoff's visible displeasure.

''What? But- Alright.'' Geoff stammered as he wanted to protest, but didn't feel like he was allowed to. He mumbled for a moment until he eyed Gwen and straightened up, remembering what she once told him. ''No, _not_ alright! I agreed to do this to get _out_ of the cab! I'm starting to hate it in there!'' He protested, taking the other crew members by surprise while Gwen got a little proud at him.

''Geoff, if you don't do this, everything is off! Get behind the wheel for a few weeks to get away from it forever! Call it an investment!'' Noah replied, calm but also clearly unwilling to get into an argument.

Geoff breathed angrily but relented slightly shortly after. ''I- I guess.'' He mumbled in reluctance.

''Good. So before we leave, is there anything else we need to share?'' Noah asked.

''I do.'' Scarlett resolutely declared, to Noah's expectation. ''The assumption that everything went flawless is a gross overstatement. I think our preparations at times were _severely_ lacking and had we not handled quickly, our cover would've been blown!''

''So, what do you suggest we do about it?'' Noah lazily asked, unimpressed.

''That _I_ function as the supervisor of our preparations in Whistler, and for future operations as well!'' Scarlett demanded.

''Fine by me.'' Noah replied as he lightly cocked his head, still rather unfazed despite Scarlett's threatening demeanor. As Scarlett was surprised and slightly suspicious over being given this position with so little resistance, Duncan and Gwen remained wary of what this could mean. They knew Scarlett remained an unpredictable person. Even though she hasn't displayed any malicious behavior, her competence during the last job has reminded them to keep on their toes nonetheless. Thinking this over, Duncan remembered to bring up another important aspect of the robbery.

''Hey, If you want to rob them, then you better get decent artillery because we aren't going to scare any decent guard with those peashooters we used last time! I know because I tried!'' Duncan remarked, concerned. Meanwhile, Gwen shot him a dirty glare as she was reminded of his criminal background.

''I know.'' Noah asked as he pondered before he threw Duncan some car keys and handed Scarlett a file. ''Take my rental car, and head up to Whistler! I'll stay behind and arrange some other things. Call me if you need to share anything! In the file are two pairs of fake ID's for everyone. Use one to book the cabins and the other to rent the bikes or snowmobiles! Stay safe and don't make yourself look suspicious!'' He conclusively instructed before the others left.

* * *

A uneventful drive of several hours later, they arrived in Whistler.

''This is it.'' Duncan declared as he drove onto the parking lot of a resort.

''Let me do the talking.'' Scarlett said as she examined the fake identification and handed it to everyone. They got their luggage and headed for the lobby.

''Good afternoon, we- _Wir_ come for vacation!'' Scarlett introduced them, with purposefully broken English and a notable accent.

''Under what name have you booked your reservations?''

''Riefenstahl – Mertensacker!'' Scarlett answered, skillfully using her accent to cover up that she had some trouble pronouncing the names.

''I see! Two cabins!'' The receptionist replied, taking the crew members lightly by surprise as she went to get the keys. ''Here are the keys to cabin twelve and fourteen. They're at the end of the trail! Enjoy your stay!''

''Danke schön!'' Scarlett replied before they left.

''Why _two_ cabins?'' Gwen wondered after they've headed for their cabins, feeling suspicious.

''I do wonder why we have two cabins, and I'm rather suspicious of the name of the booking. Why using two surnames and wasting funds on two separate cabins when these can comfortably house all of us?'' Scarlett wondered as she looked at the other cabins, mistrustful.

''Twelve and fourteen, these are ours.'' Duncan remarked as they arrived at a pair of cabins at the end of the trail, looking over to the resort and the town entirely.

''They're pretty isolated from the rest.'' Cody curiously noted.

Scarlett let Cody's remark sink in and thought for a reason why they were. ''That's what's starting to concern me even more.'' She said after a moment of thinking.

''Men, you take fourteen. Gwen and I take twelve.'' Scarlett strictly instructed before they split up.

''Good call.'' Gwen casually complimented her, happy to not share a cabin with either of the guys.

Scarlett unlocked the door and the women entered the cabin, where everything looked as you'd expect from a small but luxurious winter lodge.

''This is pretty nice!'' Gwen remarked as she looked around and immediately spotted a bottle of wine on the table. ''What a service!'' She added as she picked the bottle up and read the label.

''It looks alright.'' Scarlett agreed as she put her luggage down

''There's only one bedroom though.'' Gwen noted after going through the rooms, which weren't many.

''That's strange.'' Scarlett replied, slightly confused but not thinking much more of it for now. ''We'll figure it out how to solve that conundrum tonight.'' She shrugged off while Gwen went out to the elevated deck outside, where besides an outdoor fireplace, a hot tub and a telescope stood, overlooking the town. ''Perfect.'' Scarlett mumbled delightedly.

Gwen walked over to the hot tub, but then noticed something strewn over the floor. ''What are these flower petals doing here?'' Gwen confusedly wondered. Scarlett walked over to her and inspected them.

''Rosa Stellata. These are rose petals!'' Scarlett deducted as Gwen shot her a dumbfounded look. ''Rose petals. Wine. One bedroom...'' Scarlett pondered as her voice gradually became silent until it hit her. Her eyes shot wide with realization and anger. ''For fu- this is a _honeymoon_ suite!'' She spat.

''What?!'' Gwen exclaimed, seeing it now as well.

''Noah- that weasel! Give me your phone!'' Scarlett ordered. Gwen handed it to her and Scarlett dialed his number.

''Put it on speaker, I want to give him a piece of my mind as well!'' Gwen angrily demanded, to which Scarlett obliged. As the dial tone sounded, the guys dropped by.

''Hey-'' Cody tried to greet them, but was resolutely silenced by Scarlett sternly shooting him a gesture.

''Hello?'' Noah picked up.

''You bastard! What did you think booking us into the honeymoon suites?!'' Scarlett barked.

''Thinking that it is a brilliant cover! Aside from those two cabins have the best view of the town, no one with any grace dares to disturb two newlywed couples! On top of that, no one would bat an eye when they stay inside their cabin for long periods of time; enjoying each other's presence, get it on with each other-''

''I hope you're not insinuating we do that as well.'' Scarlett threateningly growled as she shot Cody a matching look to dissuade him from having any ideas or remarks.

''That's up to you! Thing is, no one expects that you'd do anything particularly strange for a couple, like planning a bank robbery. I suggest you stick with that to avoid any suspicion.''

''But-''

''Good luck.'' Noah brusquely cut Scarlett off before he hung up. In utter frustration, Scarlett threw the phone on the ground, breaking it.

''Hey!'' Gwen called,

''My apologies. My frustration got the better of me for a moment.'' Scarlett apologized, humbly but sincerely.

''Hey, I don't get what're you so antsy about! We can plan everything in peace an luxury!'' Duncan explained.

''But Noah _is_ right! We have a alibi to hold up!'' Cody reasoned.

''Fuck it, I think I'd rather be wed with Scarlett than any of you two.'' Gwen sarcastically guessed, being more snappy at Cody than she intended.

''Likewise.'' Scarlett agreed after she cocked her head slightly.

''But- what about us?'' Cody creaked.

''Well Cody, if those rumors about you and Noah back in the day were true, I'd say you should be able to get really cozy with Duncan!''

''Oh come on!'' Cody whined as Duncan gestured his displeasure as well.

''Enough time wasted.'' Scarlett formally declared, disregarding the men's' displeasure. ''Gwen, you and Duncan have to go rent either a dirt bike or a snowmobile and be ready to give chase to the money transport! While you're there, go through downtown and take some notes. I'll be observing the town from the deck, but chances are I can't see everything from this viewpoint.'' Scarlett instructed very businesslike, eyeing the recipient as she gave the instructions.

''Why do I have to go with him?'' Gwen asked, unhappy.

''To avoid questions as to why a newlywed couple doesn't go everywhere together when they've only recently agreed to share the rest of their life together!''

''And what about me?'' Cody hopefully asked.

''You? I want you to see if there's a weak link in the bank's network! You brought your laptop along right?'' Scarlett told him.

''Yes of course!''

''Splendid! I'll go examine We'll meet again back here.'' Scarlett called before everyone went their separate ways.

* * *

Duncan and Gwen were walking through downtown Whistler, the latter more reluctant than the former.

''This is nice! We should've come here sooner!'' Duncan remarked as he gazed upon the main street with the sun setting behind a mountain providing a lovely backdrop.

''Not under these circumstances.'' Gwen gruffly replied, wishing she indeed could enjoy being here more, and additionally with better company.

''Come on! We need to keep up appearances! Besides, I could use a little company. I've hardly seen anyone for the past few months!'' Duncan whispered as he tried to hold Gwen's hand.

''Only thinking about yourself. Typical.'' Gwen grumbled as she violently retracted her arm. ''It reminds me of why I dumped you. You would turn his back to his criminal lifestyle and get a job, but sir just wanted money!''

''Hey, I had debts to pay!''

''Then you get a decent job instead of mugging people! I warned you to not do that anymore, but you didn't!''

''Those didn't pay quick enough! If I wouldn't turn up with some dough I would be laying on the bottom of lake Superior for all I knew! And I couldn't loan anything from my family, or you!'' Duncan angrily defended.

''Because they cut all contact with you! And so should I have if I knew!'' Gwen hissed venomously.

Both of them then noted that they were getting some odd looks, and were reminded to stick to their role. ''Look, I never really apologized back then, so I'm sorry I didn't do like you asked from me and you had all right to dump me!''

''I appreciate you apologizing, but don't think you can get back with me.'' Gwen told him with a mix of both reason and annoyance. ''You go look for a place where they rent out bikes, and mind you don't go _stealing_ one!'' She sternly instructed afterwards.

''Pff.''

''I'll go take some pictures around here! I'll see you back at the cabin!'' She added before they went their own ways. Gwen went around to idly snap some pictures of the street and the backdrop, both to not stand out and for her own collection. When she thought she wouldn't stand out as someone making photos of oddly specific things, she went around and photographed several details, such as the outside cameras at the bank and the alleys surrounding it.

As she looked around, her eye fell on a particular building down the street, and grew concerned when she figured out that it was a police station.

''That can be a problem!'' Gwen mumbled as she inconspicuously snapped a photo of the main street with both the bank and the police station in the picture. She sat down at a bench and browsed through the photographs. Thinking she had plenty of pictures, she left.

* * *

Scarlett was tirelessly peering through the telescope, hoping to spot little but crucial details. She remained motionless, only moving to take a drag from her cigarette or light another one. However, Scarlett flinched when someone knocked on the door, and grunted in annoyance as she was forced to open it. She got a little more annoyed to find that standing in front of her was Cody.

''Hey Scarlett! Have you-'' Cody casually greeted, hoping to make some small talk.

''Can the system be hacked?'' Scarlett asked, immediately talking business as she walked back

''I tried, but the bank is tightly secured! I can break in, but I'm afraid they'll track me and then they-''

''-Will send the police coming our way. I get it.'' Scarlett finished. ''Regrettably, this makes it a much more physical undertaking than I'd wish it to become.'' She pondered.

''Is there anything I can do for you now? Like, it could be something simple as keeping you company!'' Cody offered as he sat down near the outdoor fireplace, not trying hard to cover up he simply wanted that, and Scarlett caught on to it.

''Now that you ask, can you get me a pack of Strikeout cigarettes?'' Scarlett requested, sounding unusually kind as she covered up the pack she already had.

''Yeah, sure!'' Cody agreed, feeling flattered by her sudden kind disposition.

''They're not available everywhere, so I suggest you look at every store in town!''

''I'm on it!'' Cody chirped.

''You have my gratitude!'' Scarlett formally remarked as Cody ran off, after which Scarlett shook her head in annoyance and went back to peeking through the telescope.

Soon after, Gwen came back.

''What's Cody doing storming off the hill?'' Gwen asked.

''I sent him on an errand to buy some cigarettes that don't exist. Anything to get him away from me.'' Scarlett answered as she turned around to face Gwen.

''You should be nicer to him. Cody is responsible for getting you aboard in the first place!'' Gwen suggested as she sat down in Cody's place instead.

''Is that so? Then he has been good for something at least.'' Scarlett mumbled.

''Mind if I have one?'' Gwen asked before Scarlett handed her a cigarette and lighted it for her. ''I never saw you as someone who smokes though. You should be smart enough to not get addicted, or know that it's bad for your health.'' she remarked before taking a drag.

''I know it is addictive, but if you carefully moderate, you can have the calming effect of smoking without the damage it causes. But seeing as humans can't age beyond somewhere around 116, and there are plenty of ailments that make life less than pleasant before that, I do not intend to stick around that long.'' Scarlett explained.

''It's a whole lot less complicated with me. I just started with it one day and tried to quit ever since.''

''Nothing is truly unhealthy with moderation.'' Scarlett declared before she beckoned at Gwen to give her the camera. ''Enough chatter. I saw you walking down there. Have you seen anything noteworthy?''

''I'm afraid I do. The police station is at the other end of the street! I don't think you can see it properly from up here.'' Gwen answered as she handed the camera. Scarlett growled angrily as she browsed through the respective photographs.

''Robbing the bank becomes a worse idea with each passing hour! We should shift our focus on the money transport as intended! Where is Duncan? Was he getting a bike?'' Scarlett asked, slightly nettled.

''There he is!'' Gwen noted just as they could hear an engine coming closer and eventually shutting off.

''Duncan, if the information is correct, the money transport arrives tomorrow! I want you to be ready to shadow it!'' Scarlett instructed him immediately after he entered.

''Good evening to you too!'' Duncan sarcastically greeted, voicing his opinion on the cold welcome. ''What do you want me to look out for again?'' He added, much more serious again.

''I want you to film the entire ride as you follow the money transport off-road wherever you can, and look out for possible ambush spots, odd occurrences as well as check the motorcycle's grip off-road to be compared later on when you go the same route with a snowmobile!'' Scarlett explained before she handed him a road map.

''I've lined the route the transport most likely takes, study it tonight so you'll be prepared!''

''Roger.'' Duncan replied before he left for his own cabin.

Scarlett crossed her arms and smiled faintly, she felt great to be in charge, especially when she was convinced it was all going smooth so far.

* * *

The next day, Scarlett again was watching main street through the telescope, with the others sitting on the deck with her, enjoying the fireplace.

''Wait- There is the money transport! Duncan-'' Scarlett called after she saw a armored truck

''On it!'' Duncan interrupted her before he rushed off.

''Are we needed for anything else right now?'' Cody asked for both himself and Gwen after a short silence.

''No. Do whatever you please.'' Scarlett answered as she remained fixated on main street and wrote down on a notepad.

''Mind if I stay here and play some games by myself?'' Cody asked.

''No-'' Scarlett wanted to bark, but quickly decided to not be too rude with him this once. ''Preferably not. I need to concentrate.''

''Alright, I understand!'' Cody agreed as Gwen cast a small smile in approval of Scarlett as Cody left.

''If I'm not needed either, I'm going out to check out the nature!'' Gwen announced.

''Remember, don't stand out!'' Scarlett reminded them.

''I won't!'' Gwen breezily promised before she left.

* * *

''Are you still peeking through that telescope? How long have you been sitting there?'' Gwen asked after she had been gone for a good amount of time, finding Scarlett exactly how she left her.

''I haven't kept track of time. I just need to know everything involving the bank!'' Scarlett answered, not looking away.

''We still have plenty of time to find out!'' Gwen answered before she cast a longing glare over at the hot tub. ''I think I'm going to try out that tub!''

''Go ahead.'' Scarlett replied unmoved as Gwen went inside.

A short while later, she came back out dressed in a bikini and climbed into the warm water.

''Scarlett, you really _got_ to try it!'' Gwen moaned in delight.

''I'd love to, but even so I don't have a swimsuit with me.'' Scarlett revealed as she finally took her eyes off of the telescope and eyed Gwen. ''I don't really care for nudity, it's natural. But I don't know whether _you_ do.'' She added, cocking her head slightly.

''As far as I know we're built of the same parts!'' Gwen casually replied, providing an answer for Scarlett. ''In fact, If you don't mind I may go wearing nothing but a smile myself.''

''Perhaps I could use a break.'' Scarlett reasoned before she stood up and stretched out before she went inside. ''I'll be back soon.'' She stated as Gwen fidgeted around in the water to undress and laid her swimsuit on the edge of the tub.

Like she said, Scarlett came back dressed in only a bathrobe and took it off as formally as Scarlett has been before she stepped into the hot tub, flinching briefly at the touch of the steaming water before she allowed herself to completely submerge.

''This is rather delightful indeed.'' Scarlett humbly agreed.

''Didn't I say so?'' Gwen smirked, numbed by the hot water.

''I do hope the guys don't suddenly drop by. There's no doubt what they'll think if they catch us nude in a hot tub like this!'' She expressed with a hint of concern.

''You just said you don't care about being naked.''

''I do when it relegates me to a lust object to certain people.''

''I've been there.'' Gwen agreed, after which it remained quiet for a while.

''Did you hear about those paintings being auctioned?'' Gwen asked after a period of mutual silence. Muted by their personal enjoyment.

''The Da Vincis you mean? Yes. I've kept tabs on them for a while now.''

''I read about it when I was walking past a kiosk in town. Do you think Chris is going to do a bid on them?''

''I'm certain he will.'' Scarlett answered. As they had this conversation, Gwen remembered what they once talked about, and she's been dying to talk more about since Scarlett first mentioned it, but it was always an inappropriate time. She shifted herself a little and mentally prepared herself.

''Scarlett, before we robbed the diamond guy, you talked about how you used to import a lot of art for Chris.''

''That's correct.''

''I need to know, is it true what you're saying?'' Gwen asked, hoping that Scarlett wouldn't take it the wrong way.

''I swear it is.'' Scarlett calmly, yet solemnly vowed.

''Can you tell me a little more, please?'' She requested.

''I suppose, but I have told basically everything there is to tell. I traveled around the world like a fool, blind that it was Chris who made me do it. And it's not that he didn't pay that angered me the most, but that he left off with rare pieces of art that were deemed lost. The only thing I have left of it are certain documents pointing to the location where the art is stored.''

''If you knew where they were, why didn't you try to get them back?'' Gwen asked.

''Only a fool would look for danger where it's bound to find it.'' Scarlett poetically answered. ''I have documents detailing where they should be, but I'm certain the moment I come even in the vicinity of there, I'll be apprehended, killed, or both.''

''But-'' Gwen tried to say before they both flinched when they noted that Duncan had returned, and walked onto the deck, followed by a short awkward silence.

''What's this? Having a intimate moment I see?'' Duncan asked with a sly smirk forming as Scarlett lowered herself a little further into the water to preserve her modesty.

''Stick it in the snow!'' Gwen growled as Duncan's grin slowly faded, enjoying their reaction more than the perceived thought that evoked it.

'''Whatever, I've recorded a route!'' Duncan shrugged.

''Go inside, I'll look into it in a moment.'' Scarlett ordered. Despite sounding casual, she aggressively beckoned him to go away. Duncan laughed it off and went inside.

''At least it wasn't Cody catching us.'' Gwen tried to console Scarlett, who tried her hardest to repress her relative embarrassment.

''Thanks for that.'' Scarlett agreeably growled as she rose up and put her bathrobe back on and followed Duncan inside.

''How did it go?'' Scarlett asked, finishing tying her robe as Duncan played the footage.

''Riding went peachy! A motorbike with snow chains rides like a charm in both the snow and the road!'' Duncan explained.

''Have you found a proper ambush spot?'' Scarlett continued asking as Gwen came by as well.

''Several. Like here.'' Duncan answered just as the video showed him and the van approaching a large cliff. ''What about we drop a tree or a big rock down and block the transport's way?''

''I think you've watched a few too many movies…'' Scarlett sourly noted. ''But it's an option nonetheless.'' She relented as she marked several locations on the road map based on what she saw on the footage.

''That sluggish thing can't turn easily on that narrow road so by the time they've turned around, we'll have disappeared into the forest!'' Duncan continued.

''Are there many spots where we can ride off undetected?''

''Plenty! Once you can't see the road anymore, you're basically in no man's land!'' Duncan answered. Scarlett was to reply to it, but then Cody came barging into the cabin.

''Hey everyone, I have an idea! We-'' Cody called, pausing when he saw Scarlett dressed in only a bathrobe and Gwen in her swimsuit, and got a little miffed. ''What's going on here?''

''Maybe it's better we don't tell you.'' Gwen answered as she and Scarlett felt a little awkward again as Cody was left confused.

''Anyway, now the only thing we need to know whether we should ride bikes, or snowmobiles! I want you to go down the same route tomorrow, and judge which one is better suited!'' Scarlett concluded.

''About tomorrow, I had a suggestion!'' Cody interrupted. ''Who's up for a little bit of skiing tomorrow?''

''Why would we do that? We're in the middle of something.'' Scarlett reasoned.

''That's why! We've been here for a few days now, busy with planning what we're about to do! I say; Let's unwind a little! Get outside! Enjoy the snow while we can!'' Cody excitedly explained.

''I'm in favor of that! I've always wanted to go skiing, but I hadn't even really thought about it until now!'' Gwen optimistically reasoned.

''Any time I'm outside is a good time!'' Duncan agreed.

''I'd rather stay here and keep an eye on the bank.'' Scarlett said.

''Come on Scarlett, we should all unwind a little!'' Cody said, though when he saw that it did little to convince her and choose to change his reasoning. ''Besides, eventually some eyebrows will raise if we stayed holed up in here our entire holiday!''

Scarlett considered Cody's remark. ''I suppose I could use some relaxation. And if it helps us with our alibi, I suppose we should go out for a short while.'' She humbly relented, though she covered up a lot of reluctance to actually partake in winter sports of any kind.

* * *

After taking Cody's suggestion to heart, the four of them planned on spending the day at the ski slope. While everyone else around her was going up and down the slope, Scarlett sat off to the side. She was reading some papers she brought with her while looking out toward the distance. She couldn't understand why everyone else wanted to have fun when there was a heist to plan and execute. She sighed in distress before going back to the papers.

It had been quite sometime since she last bothered to see where the others were. She was still focused on her pile of papers that is until she felt a tap on a shoulder. Putting her papers down, she saw Cody with a pair of skis. "And what can I help you with?"

"I wanted to see if you'd like to go skiing with me." Cody replied.

"As much as I would love to make a fool of myself, I think I'll pass." She duly noted.

"I just don't understand you, Scarlett. What's so bad about being let loose and wanting to have fun?"

"It distracts us from the duties we have in order to make sure these heists go off without any screw ups by anyone on our team."

"I understand that. However, we can't be serious and uptight all the time. Life's kinda short and we should take opportunities to enjoy ourselves."

"Look, I appreciate your argument, Cody, but you're wasting your time. You _won't_ change my mind."

"And that's another thing. Why do you appear to dislike me? Sure, I may have given you the wrong impression back at the apartment, but I try to show myself to you. Hell, _I_ added you over the objections of Gwen and Noah. They wanted Scott, but he's dead now so he wouldn't have done us any good. I just don't understand Scarlett. I go out of my way to make the others enjoy your company and get to know you better. I can tell that it's working based on how friendly you and Gwen are now. I guess I'm a fool after all."

Cody started to walk away, but Scarlett leaped up and grabbed his arm. "Wait. I suppose you're right."

"I am?" He asked back.

"You are and trust me, I very rarely admit to that." Scarlett wittily replied. "Look, apologies if I've acted rude toward you. I guess that your first impression as a hormonic sexualized man just overshadowed the fact that you're a good person. A questionable person, but a good person nonetheless."

"Well I guess my hormones got the best of me both at the apartment and here. I guess I thought I could just charm you, but I guess I learned that women like you loathe that type of behavior." Cody quickly realized.

"At least you've learned something." Scarlett added before shrugging it off. "I'm kidding. I know that you see something in me, Cody, and while I appreciate that, let's be friends for now."

"So take things one step at a time?"

"Prosaically. Who knows what the future may have in store, but let's start off getting to know each other and open the atmosphere. Can you do that?"

"I can." Cody cheerfully remarked before offering Scarlett his hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" She asked, hesitant to leave her spot.

"I'm going to take you skiing."

"You're joking, right?"

"Do I look I'm joking, Scarlett? I'm not. I want you to have fun and not be a stick in the mud. Life's short. Enjoy it."

"Well, to confess, I don't want to go skiing because, well, uh, Idon'tknowhowtoski." Scarlett quickly mumbled.

"What was that?" Cody asked.

"I said that I don't know how to ski!" Scarlett yelled, before realizing she said that more fiercely than what she wanted to. "Sorry about that. I'm just embarrassed that I don't know how to do everything."

"Why should you be embarrassed? No one's perfect, Scarlett."

"True. Perfect is only a relative concept. I guess I hold myself up to a higher standard than what everyone else does."

"And that's okay but if you want, I can teach you to ski."

"Really?"

"I would."

Scarlett paused a moment before putting her papers down and getting up. "Alright, Cody. You can teach me how to ski, but if your hand goes anywhere it's not supposed to be, I'll take that pole and pale you with it. Understood?"

"Trust me, Scarlett, I don't want to die just yet when the fun's only beginning." Cody acknowledged while leading Scarlett to the slope.

* * *

A few days had passed since then, and the crew went back to casing the bank. Scarlett and Gwen were both reading a book, the former having concluded that her dutiful observation sufficed for the time being as Cody instead read a comic book. They were all in wait for the remaining member of their team that went on holiday with them; Duncan. He was tailing the money transport a second time, only with a different mode of transportation.

Just as they started to wonder what took him so long, Duncan came back.

''I'm home!'' Duncan called.

''How did it go.'' Scarlett immediately asked, laying her book down beside her.

''Same as last time. Though those snowmobiles steer pretty sluggish. That's not pretty in those dense forests.'' Duncan answered as he made the footage ready. ''We better use the dirt bikes.''

''So I thought.'' Scarlett replied as she got the notebook she wrote in after Duncan's first pursuit.

''We also need something to crack open the piggy bank with. You got that covered?''

''I can make a plastic explosive that should suffice.'' Scarlett told Duncan before he played the footage and the latter watched as diligently as the last time she did. After a short while, her head perked up with a concerned expression as she went through her notes.

''Wait. Pause it! Look!'' Scarlett perceptively noted something, pointing her pencil at the screen.

''What's up?'' Gwen asked as Duncan did what he was told.

''That car following the money transport, it's the same one as the first time you followed it!'' Scarlett remarked.

''What's up with that?''

''That probably means it's a undercover cop or similar protection.'' Scarlett stated before Duncan inched closer to the screen to see the people more clearly.

''They don't look like they're on a little holiday here indeed.'' Duncan wryly agreed, seeing two bulky men that, though not clearly visible on the footage, seemed to wear body armor.

''So by the time we stick up the van, its escort arrives to shoot us or turn us in?'' Gwen asked, starting to worry.

''We may not even have the time to open the back doors!'' Scarlett declared before she started pace around and ponder. ''This complicates _all_ our work!'' She angrily concluded. ''If we rob the money transport, we're certain to deal with its company. But ff we cut off the escort beforehand, most likely protocol would be to alert the money transport! There seems to be no way to do this smoothly. I suggest we turn our focus back on the bank!''

''But the police station is _right across the street_!'' Gwen reminded her.

''As soon as that money transport or its guards knows something's wrong, the plan is compromised! We can rob the bank without alerting the police until we've left it! It may be hard to believe, but our odds of success are better!'' Scarlett clarified to her crew members, reluctant to believe that the change of plans, sounding so difficult, was actually the safer option.

''Call Noah. Tell him he should come over.'' Scarlett instructed Gwen as she tossed her a phone as Scarlett resumed thinking. She was certain that they had a shot to rob the bank right under the police's nose, but then it had to go off without a hitch.

* * *

 **That better have been worth the 3-month wait! I hope it was!**

 **[1] A nod to Applauze's story Anything Goes. I'm not demanding you read it, but I suggest you give it a try!**

 **This chapter turned out to be pretty long. Not that you readers have that big of a problem with it I believe!**

 **What else to say anymore? Oh yeah: review, fave and follow if you like!**

 **:D,**

 **L.W. and Applauze.**


	8. Up In Arms

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **We took a short break to both work on other things, but we're back alright!**

 **Applauze: Just returning the favor with that shout-out!**

 **Jster1983: That's a pretty great question! You'll probably get an answer to that in one of the upcoming chapters!**

 **Joel Connell: Oh wow, what a long review: in which you strike some good points! I sadly can't go into detail too much but you're on to something that's bound to happen!**

 **That's all. Here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Up In Arms**

* * *

Noah had traveled to Whistler the next day and approached the cabins his accomplices spent their pretend holiday. He hated to admit it, but he was on edge for what he intended to undertake today was risky, not like their operation was at danger, but rather their own lives.

As the others went to Whistler, Noah stayed behind to do research in the Vancouver underworld to arrange a meet to purchase firearms. The number of possible providers was surprisingly high, but Noah choose to get in touch with a triad operating out of the port that allegedly was heavily involved in international smuggling operations and as such most likely had access to untraceable, high-quality weaponry from abroad.

However, Noah had also heard some very unpleasant rumors about how this triad dealt with possible buyers. Then there was the risk that he'd be recognized, and if they did there would be no telling what could happen. He could be kidnapped, or he could be blackmailed for all he got, as he was still a public figure with a few secrets to keep as well. Either way, no matter whether he'd leave the meeting planned for today alive or not, things could go severely wrong either way. Not just that, but he still hadn't figured out how to sell it to his accomplices.

If there was a way he didn't have to go through with this, he would've gladly taken it, but through all the risks and the dangers, he still knew very well they badly needed the firepower.

Once there, he knocked on the cabin door and was allowed entrance by Scarlett, who greeted him with a light nod of her head.

''Good morning fellas.'' Noah greeted them as everyone had gathered in Gwen and Scarlett's cabin.

''Hey!'' Cody greeted back.

''How's Geoff doing?'' Gwen immediately asked for the one member that wasn't present.

''He's fine! He's trucking up and down every day and can stay in my home for as long as he has to!'' Noah answered, though not as concerned with Geoff as he was with getting over saying it. ''What's the business? Have you formed a plan?'' He then asked, turning to Scarlett.

''Affirmative.'' Scarlett answered before she briefly browsed through some papers. ''At first we aimed to strike at the money transport, but after reviewing footage, we discovered that it has heavy undercover security. As such, we decided to aim our sights at the bank.'' She explained.

''Nice.'' Noah remarked as he cast a glance down at main street Whistler.

''Though the bank has its own share of problems. We found out that the police station is right across the street. If we were to rob the bank, we have to either find a way to be _extremely_ covert, or prevent the bank from alarming the police.''

''That sounds like something Cody could help us with!''

''Not yet! They have pretty high security. If I break in, I'll probably get my geolocation noted!'' Cody answered.

''There's no time for me to help think of a solution now. I have to get the guns.'' Noah announced.

''Who are you buying them from?'' Duncan asked.

''Scarlett, Duncan, I want you to come with me to the deal.'' Noah announced, ignoring Duncan's question before he turned to Cody and Gwen.

''Cody, Gwen, you have to figure out a way to avoid getting the police's attention while we're away!'' Noah instructed them.

''Sure.'' Gwen answered as the other three headed for the door.

''One last thing, if we haven't given a sign of life by the end of the day, leave this place and forget everything that we had done or wanted to do! Got it?'' Noah insistently ordered, worrying Cody and Gwen.

''Yeah, of course.'' Gwen mumbled, a little shocked at the instruction and the implication behind it as Noah and his cronies left. Shortly after, she put her coat on as well. ''I'm going to see what the inside of the bank looks like. We can't be planning everything around the bank yet forget to actually look inside!''

''But how do you want to do that? Isn't photographing in banks kind of notable if not illegal?'' Cody asked.

''I'll draw something from memory!'' She stated before leaving as well.

* * *

''How did you get here?'' Duncan asked as they left the resort.

''I took the van.'' Noah plainly answered.

''Why? Couldn't you have taken the bus?''

''Not with all the baggage I'm having with me.'' Noah pointed out.

''What baggage?''

''Isn't that obvious?'' Noah replied, getting annoyed. ''If I take a two-hour bus ride and in the off-chance my bags are checked, I can't reasonably explain to them why I have several thousands of dollars in cash with me! What parasite has been eating at your brain?''

''Actually, I find Duncan's inquiries very reasonable as you are acting very secretive.'' Scarlett remarked in response to Noah's annoyance as they walked onto a different parking lot, with the van standing close by. ''Like how you still haven't revealed who we're buying the weapons from.'' She added more intrusively.

After Noah remained silent for a while, thinking of an appropriate response to get off the hook, he choose to come clean. ''Fine, you really want to know who we're buying them from?'' Noah asked as he unlocked the van and got in as Duncan wanted to ride shotgun, but Scarlett beat him to it and sent him in the back as a passive display of dominance. ''We're buying them from a few Lim triad thugs.'' He revealed as he turned the ignition on.

''The Lim triad?'' Duncan repeated, slightly startled.

''You heard of them?'' Noah asked.

''Yeah, I've seen them on TV once: Smugglers, not very picky with what they smuggle whether it has a pulse or not. The money they make is put in numerous front business to launder it cleaner than a new pair of boxers and this gives them a lot of influence, which they have used to crush rivals. I once heard they personally put an end to a rivaling triad and sold them off in their own slave ring!'' Duncan explained, both amazed and horrified at the brutality at the same time.

''And if the other stories are correct, the Lim triad have a shifty streak. They kill customers they can't trust during deals and then leave with their merchandise and the customers' money. And since I had to keep a very low profile, I am a celebrity after all, I have a bad feeling they won't think highly of us too.'' Noah warned.

''Some supplier you've chosen.'' Scarlett disdainfully noted, though not moved by the stories very much. ''How do you suppose we survive this meeting?'' She mistrustfully asked.

''Simple. We're meeting them near the sands of Osoyoos, far away from civilization. Scarlett hides herself on one of the hills under a camouflage net and watches over us with a sniper rifle.'' Noah explained.

''Let me guess, that's also 'luggage' you couldn't be caught with.'' Scarlett said.

''Exactly!'' Noah affirmed after a short sardonic chuckle.

* * *

A few hours later, they drove over a sand road through a thinly wooded area when Noah stopped at the foot of a hill. In the distance, the forest ended and slowly turned into a desert. Noah turned the engine off and went out of the van.

''Right, over there is where we'll meet them.'' Noah stated as he went over to the steps and pried them off. ''Use this!'' He told Scarlett as he reached into the compartment behind it and retrieved a somewhat dated sniper rifle.

''It looks antique!'' Duncan noted, unimpressed as Scarlett took it from Noah. ''Like, how many Nazis did it kill?'' He cynically added.

''I inherited from my great-uncle. He was into collecting firearms.'' Noah added while reaching into the compartment again to get a clip of bullets and a camouflage net. ''But I took it for a spin at the shooting range, it still does what you expect from it!'' He assured them as he handed Scarlett the clip as well and, once she had inserted it, the netting.

''You got us any protection too?'' Duncan asked.

''Of course.'' Noah answered as he reached into the space one last time and got the handguns they used last time. ''There isn't something like too safe after all!'' He added before handing Duncan one of the guns before Noah turned back to Scarlett. ''One last thing: Only shoot when you're _sure_ that we're being jumped! If you shoot or kill them without reason, they'll have a valid reason to whack us after all!'' Noah sternly warned her.

''Naturally.'' Scarlett replied, unfazed by Noah's attitude before she went up the hill.

''Come, let's get out of here.'' Noah told Duncan before they headed into the van and drove onto the sand lot.

Scarlett took position as Duncan and Noah stopped somewhere on the sand lot and made sure they faced Scarlett as the latter took position and cloaked herself in the camouflage netting, blending in with the surrounding fauna.

''When they're here, I want you to do the talking.'' Noah announced to Duncan as he took a duffel bag from the bus.

''Why?''

''I will stay quiet. I want to avoid being recognized at all costs!'' Noah explained as he put on sunglasses and a trilby, hoping it'd suffice without looking overly conspicuous. ''We're looking for guns that look intimidating, but also pack a good amount of firepower! Money shouldn't be a problem!'' He continued explaining before Noah showed Duncan the contents of the bag; stacks of money.

''You got it.'' Duncan assured him as they waited for the suppliers to arrive.

* * *

Back at the cabin, Cody was browsing on his laptop when Gwen came back from her trip to the bank.

''What have you found?'' Cody asked, immediately peaking his head up.

''Not much I think.'' Gwen remarked before she took a notepad and began drawing on it. ''When we enter, the vault is down this short hallway right outside the entrance. There's a security camera here, here, and here.'' She started explaining, drawing a rudimentary map of the interior and marking the locations with small crosses. ''Getting into the vault won't be so difficult, but everyone can watch us holding everyone up first row from the street through those big glass doors and on live television feed!''

''Well, the cameras I may be able to disable, I hope. But we got a problem with the doors indeed!'' Cody remarked.

''So you aren't sure you can disable those cameras?''

''I can't be, no.'' Cody regretfully declared. ''Like I said, the security here at the bank is much tighter than that millionaire's! If I break in, they'll quickly pinpoint my geolocation and once they know I'm only a short while away, it's over! I could use an anonymous proxy but in these times that's probably not enough! With the amount of metadata they can read I'll have to get a really good IP-spoofer or it won't end well!'' Cody explained, though Gwen understood only half of it. Gwen didn't know what to do or say next, so she plopped down on the couch next to Cody and thought. Shortly after, she lost track of her initial train of thoughts and instead began to wonder about Cody's skills and his reason for involving himself.

''Hey Cody, why did you ever agree to do this in the first place? You and your vast knowledge of computers and programming, you'd be able to land any great job you'd want! You used to work for Facemag on top of it all!'' She asked him.

''I _used_ to. Exactly. Facemag crashed and went offline!'' Cody awkwardly pointed out. ''And unfortunately, work is very hard to come by in the tech sector these days. There are plenty of applicants, but they only want the best!''

''What? So you instead decide to help Noah committing crimes?'' Gwen muttered in surprise at the simple answer, expecting something much more dire.

''Well, the unemployment isn't such a problem, but I invested a lot of my money in Facemag shares, and when it crashed, my shares became worth absolutely nothing! Admittedly, I lived quite above my means and found myself indebted!'' Cody explained.

''So you turn to robbery?'' Gwen asked, slightly incredulous.

Cody shrugged. ''Basically!'' He casually answered. ''I just need to keep them at bay! If I keep making regular payments, they won't come after me!''

Needless to say, Gwen was baffled at Cody's callously indifferent reason for his part. While she too joined not in the first place because she had ample financial troubles herself, but it was very much unlike how she knew him: not able to hurt a fly. But now he willfully agreed to malevolently hack anything and anyone and help steal millions. It made her think about how time has changed all of them to lower themselves to such depraved acts. A hint of regret for what Gwen did and was going to do tingled in her soul for the first time in months but she snubbed it immediately, hoping that it wouldn't come back with a vengeance.

* * *

Duncan and Noah saw a van and a SUV coming towards them.

''This is it. Play it cool. Don't go in detail whatsoever. No crazy shit. We're here for a fair exchange!'' Noah conclusively explained. Duncan nodded his head affirmatively before the vehicles stopped in front of them and half a dozen men got out. Meanwhile, Scarlett's eyes gleamed. The triad members stood with their back to the cliffs, lowering the chances that she'd be spotted.

Duncan and Noah and the alleged head of the triad members remained quiet and exchanged glares for a moment before Duncan took initiative. ''You got what we need?''

''Call me Jian.'' The man introduced himself. ''What can I interest you with?''

''We could do with some proper all-purpose artillery that packs a decent punch now that you mention it.'' Duncan answered, faintly sarcastic.

Jian didn't seem bothered by the sarcasm and instead smiled contently. ''Then we could do business!'' He announced. ''What do you want?''

''We don't know yet. Show us what you got and we'll pick something out .'' Duncan replied, and Jian's men went to work, removing several rifles from hidden spaces in the van that looked much more professional than what Duncan and Noah had. One of the goons brought Jian a unloaded rifle and he in turn handed it to Duncan.

''That's a Heckel and Couff 12mm! 30-round magazines. Can fire single shot, burst and fully automatic. Foldable stock and has an internal recoil suppressor! Those Germans may've set the world on fire twice but they knew how to!''Jian excitably explained as another goon brought Duncan a magazine. ''Care for a little tryout?'' He asked. Duncan nodded and a goon placed a few cans on a rock several dozen feet away. Duncan took aim and shot in bursts at the can before Duncan and Noah quietly discussed the weapon.

''Alright, this may be a keeper. What else do you got?'' Duncan asked.

''Shotguns, mods, attachments, explosive rounds, Swiss made, American made, Israeli weapons- I'd try those if I were you!'' Jian advised. ''I can get something out of Gaza too!''

''Gaza?'' Duncan asked.

''Yeah. K's, grenades or even an RPG if you want the Mounties to really notice you!'' Jian explained.

''Sounds fun. I'm kind of into all that anarchy but we wish to remain unnoticed for now.''

''It can all be yours when we get a ship in next week!'' Jian promised, selling his product like it was as mundane as selling a car. Meanwhile, Noah raised an eyebrow and got suspicious as to why he was so open about the where's and what's of his product which could severely endanger his entire triad.

''We don't want to wait that long. But instead a shotgun would be good.'' Duncan remarked, and on cue a goon brought him a compact shotgun with a little box containing spare shells. Duncan again wasted no time loading a few shells and shot at the cans, surprising by the power of the gun as nothing was left of one of the cans he shot. Amazed, Duncan had another quick, quiet talk with Noah, who too seemed impressed by the shotgun.

''It packs a punch, and it easy concealable. If we can get another pack of shells, we'll take this one for sure!'' Duncan announced.

''Of course!'' Jian contently replied. ''Anything else of our product you want to try?'' He inquired as a goon went to stand next to him, holding a gun they could possibly try.

''I don't think we do, those Heckel and Couff guns left a great impression. If you can get us, say, two more of them and nine extra magazines, we got what we came for!''

''If you got the dough to pay for this hardware, so do we.'' Jian responded, content but with a lingering threat in his tone.

Noah handed Duncan the bag and he showed it to Jian as Noah tensed up. ''Will this cover it?'' Duncan asking with a knowing grin as he opened the bag, showing all the money inside.

Meanwhile Scarlett still peerlessly peeked through the scope, having gotten accustomed to doing so at the lodge's telescope. During the entire meet so far, she kept a close eye on every detail, but had spotted nothing that implied danger so far. However, as Jian ran his finger through a stack of money, her eye fell on the goon standing behind him, carrying a rifle around. While at first glance, this would not be a strange sight at a gun deal, Scarlett's eyes widened in alarm at a detail she had not seen before during this meet. After a second of doubt, Scarlett aimed for the goon. The crosshair was trained on the back of his head when Scarlett pulled the trigger. Everyone flinched in alarm at the sound of the shot, but to Scarlett's initial confusion and anger, the shot flew right past the goon's hand and crashed in the sand. Scarlett ejected the cartridge and hit the gun in frustration over her missed shot.

Noah's first reaction was to rapidly draw his gun at the triad members. Though he didn't know what Scarlett shot for, he was already on edge that something bad was going on.

''Apparently our guardian angel has seen something she didn't quite like!'' Duncan sternly pointed out after he took out his pistol too and aimed it at the triad members, who looked as caught as deer in headlights. ''The guns go to the ground or you will!'' He threateningly growled as the triad goons agreed and discarded their arms.

''Listen up, we're sorry it had to go this way but we knew of your reputation and clearly we were right to think so!'' Duncan insincerely explained as he inched closer to the guns and the bullets before he picked them up. ''But we don't want any trouble! We leave with the guns, you leave with the money!'' He added before Noah threw them the bag.

''Don't even think of pulling anything as we leave! Our guardian angel will not miss a second time and I think you know she won't hesitate either!'' Duncan warned as Noah went into the van and drove it between the triads and Duncan, protecting Duncan from any quick attacks the triads may do as he hastily loaded the hardware into the van before they sped off, fortunate that the triad members remained unmoved. As they left her view, Scarlett took that as her clue to head back to their meeting place as well.

The van screeched to a halt when they spotted Scarlett at the side of the dirt road and left as soon as it came when Scarlett got in. As Noah drove over the bumpy dirt road at an unsafe speed, it remained quiet for a while as Duncan and Noah felt their hearts throbbing in their throat and the only thing they thought of was disappearing as soon as possible before the triads would have second thoughts and chase them down. Meanwhile, Scarlett remained dissonantly calm.

''Slow down. The county cops probably can see gunrunners coming a mile away and with how crazy you drive, they could even do so with their eyes closed!'' Scarlett rebuked Noah, intentionally remaining polite.

''You don't get to talk about crazy! Why did you shoot them?!'' Duncan snapped at her.

''Clearly, they were going to ambush you!'' Scarlett answered, not acting aggravated beyond arching her eyebrow.

''Bull! It was a clean deal!''

''I beg to differ.'' Scarlett plainly retorted, not feeling like wasting words to a raging Duncan.

''How did you know?'' Noah asked, though more collected than Duncan.

''They were ready to shoot you as soon as the supplier had assured the money was clean and safe to take!'' Scarlett remarked.

''You don't know that!'' Duncan snarled.

''As a matter of fact I _did_! Haven't you noticed that every gun you were handed was unloaded? He left you to insert the magazines yourself before shooting! To the contrary, the man standing behind the leader had his gun loaded already!'' Scarlett pointed out, to which Duncan and Noah remained speechless as they struggled to provide a counterargument but failed, realizing Scarlett was right. ''Don't immediately presume I'm only doing what I do because of some wanton need for malice!'' She added to demean the men further.

''I should've known something was up. I found them to be very open about their sources.'' Noah stated.

''While you _thought_ , I _acted_. That's what makes us different!'' Scarlett boastfully declared.

''If you are so hot on acting, why didn't you shoot to _kill_?'' Noah cynically asked.

''I would've! But that rifle of yours is badly worn and poorly calibrated!'' Scarlett revealed, shaking her head in disapproval at what she saw as another of Noah's shortsighted preparations.

Noah sighed and decided to relent, aware that no matter what argument he'd throw at Scarlett, she'd have her word ready. ''Whatever, let's pull over for a minute to hide the hardware! If we get pulled over by the sheriff we'll be caught with our hands in the cookie jar!'' He stated before he drove them onto a secluded rest stop.

As they stuffed the guns away in the secret compartments, Duncan and Noah were glad to have this behind them. However, Scarlett witnessed yet another one of Noah's plans go awry, with only her interference preventing it from becoming a disaster. She was getting fed up with all the incompetent behavior shown by her fellow crew members, and no one could tell how long it took before Scarlett's limit would be reached.

* * *

 **And on this day, two years ago, this story was posted... only to be forgotten by both of us until roughly a year later!**

 **Well, that's it. They got the guns and they know everything they have to know. I'd say the bank robbery is bound to happen next chapter!**

 **Until then!**

 **:D,**

 **L.W and Applauze.**


	9. The Snow Job

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **Holy smokes where did all these reviews come from all of a sudden?! Long reviews as well! I'll respond to those that need reviewing!**

 **Applauze: We'll discuss some of those ideas once the time is there, but I can tell you with the schedule I have, you should like them very much!**

 **Jster1983: Cody's financial troubles may be elaborated on sometime soon!**

 **Joel Connell: While financial troubles may seem like a bit of a shallow reason for Cody to do all these nefarious heists, desperation can make someone do nefarious things. Similarly, why _does_ Noah go so far for something he probably wouldn't care about? Is he doing it for his own interests? Or perhaps someone else's? Nah... probably not the latter. And now that you mentioned the other characters, don't count on too many appearances, but far I got an idea to let one character who wasn't seen before have a small role near the end... but I think you'll love this chapter on that front as well!**

 **Greatstoryalert:** **That sounds really complicated, I've never even heard of that movie, but while Gwen taunting Chris and gloating over what she may or may not have done sounds kind of unlike her and may compromise them, the idea sounds cruelly appealing!**

 **Guest: I wish I could elaborate on your review a little more, but I'm afraid I'd spoil a lot or talk ahead of our plans! I'm glad you stick around to read it though!**

 **Chrismustsuffer:** **While the standard** **currently** **isn't that high in this fandom, we're happy you think of our story that way! The way things look now, Ruud Vermaak and the diamond heist is a passed station; they got away and more importantly, he doesn't seem to have even noticed it!** **And funny that you should mention GTA 5, because that was one of the inspirations for me to start with this story! 'Blush' It's meant to be a little more than just the heists and also a bit of psychology around it as opposed to GTA!**

 **Takebackthefalls: If they were busted, that'd make for a quick and anticlimactic end of this story, right? But maybe that all part of the plot to take it into a whole new direction! Read to see for yourself! :D**

 **As for the rest, thank you very much for your continued interest and support!**

 **Nothing else left to say. Get reading! You waited long enough for it after all!**

 **Rated T for relative violence!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Snow Job**

* * *

'Here we go again', Gwen thought as the day had come to commit another robbery. As opposed to the stealthy approach last time, this time they'd go for loud and threatening. A different way to business, but equally depraved. But contrary to the last time, Gwen didn't feel nervous. It both amazed and abhorred her how little she cared anymore, how accustomed she had become to this life. Last time she was shaking on her legs, but if she compared herself now she didn't care at all. Eventually, for lack of a better conclusion, she thought she had no moral issues because she didn't like banks very much.

If she knew she liked skiing as much as she did, she would've come much earlier for the relative fun they had going down the slopes together and spending evenings around the fireplace, striking up fun conversations with the others. Even the usually distant Scarlett involved herself with the others in a way that would paint a different image of the aloof woman she usually was. Then there was the beautiful nature, the clean air and the clear, beautiful night skies she could get lost in watching them. All the fun and coziness almost made Gwen forget what they were really here for. Their bags were packed and everyone was in their winter coats. They were ready to leave Whistler, they only had to stop by the bank.

Their cottage looked more like a armory at the moment as Duncan did one last check of the guns. Parts were spread everywhere on a rag draped over the table as he meticulously checked and if necessary cleaned them before he skillfully put them back together. Duncan was not only familiar with using weapons, but also with the technical aspect.

As Duncan reassembled the weapons, Noah hung up a photo of the bank and the drawn schematic of the bank's interior Gwen made earlier above the burning fireplace. He had left the previous day to bring back one of the cars to Vancouver and the rest spent time cleaning their cabins in a attempt to leave as little evidence of their presence behind.

''I'm going ahead.'' Cody quietly announced to Noah after walking up to him, taking everyone's bags with him.

''You know where the place is?'' Noah asked, to which Cody nodded his head. ''Good. Offload the bikes in the alley. Give me a call when you've done your part.'' He continued before Cody took the keys of the van and left.

Noah dialed a number on his smart phone and held it in his hand, putting it on speaker.

''Yeah?'' The familiar voice of Geoff sounded after a short while, catching everyone's attention.

''Geoff? You got a moment to talk?'' Noah asked.

''Sure.''

''Right. While the 'taking stuff that isn't ours' concept is still the same, it's a completely different approach from the last time!'' Noah began explaining. ''Today's target is the Whistler Savings and Holdings bank. While we're inside, we strive for a balance between loud and threatening and delicate and precise.'' He said before he used a laser to point at several points. ''Thanks to the large glass doors of the bank, we're in plain view for everyone who wants to see a live bank robbery or more likely put one to end. So the key is to stick up everyone inside in the corners here and here, out of view while we demand the personnel to carry on with business as usual to deceive the outside world everything is perfectly alright!'' Noah continued explaining.

''Duncan, you and I stand in the corners. Keep a close watch on everyone and always be ready to stick up new people if they enter the bank!'' Noah continued explaining before he turned to Gwen and Scarlett. ''Ladies, you head into the safe and take what's worth taking! It doesn't have to be much, but at least make it worth our time!'' He remarked, to which Scarlett nodded her head once affirmatively, but Gwen was a little more critical.

''I've seen a few security cameras inside, and there's probably a quiet alarm. What about that?'' Gwen skeptically inquired.

''Cody is taking the van and drives to a roadside restaurant miles away from the town. From there, he hacks into the bank's systems in a seemingly unprofessional matter, but despite that he does disable the cameras and the panic buttons. He then phones the police to brag about it or whatever to catch their attention long enough for them to trace the call to his location. As some cops leave and the herd of law enforcers in this town thins out, he then dumps the phone and heads to the final meeting spot, a abandoned rest stop somewhere off route.'' Noah explained.

''When we get out, we split up in two groups and race out of town on our dirt bikes to go to the drop-off point where Geoff is waiting for us to hide the take in his cargo and take it past possible police checkpoints while we go through the woods to meet up with Cody. It's not so much the _if_ we'll be spotted as much as _when_ we'll be spotted by the police so go off-road as soon as possible and try to shake the police if they're on to you! Waste no time! Also because the forecast predicted there was going to be a snowstorm today, and I heard you can get seriously lost in those.'' Noah instructed before he turned his attention to his phone for the first time.

''Geoff, do you know where the drop-off point is?''

''S'yeah man, but turns out, my truck has a tracker and I'm on a tight schedule. If you take too long to get there and I keep waiting, my boss will start asking questions!'' Geoff explained.

''And we can't have that.'' Noah agreeably muttered as he briefly sank away in his thoughts. ''Don't worry, we'll be there on time!'' He assured him. ''Have you found a place where you can stash the take?''

''Yeah, I got a spot.'' Geoff answered.

''Geoff, if we don't show up, leave and forget everything we did. Do you understand?'' Noah insistently asked.

''You mean like-'' Geoff started talking, sounding a little shocked as if the gravity of Noah's instruction hit him. ''Sure.'' He finished, more calmly.

''Good.'' Noah replied before he ended the phone call.

''I assume we have this all memorized.'' Scarlett remarked, gesturing at the map and the photos. When she got even remotely affirmative responses from the others in the form of faint nods, she tore them off and threw them into the fire as she watched them burn to ashes.

''Let's go.'' Scarlett said as everyone got up and left.

* * *

A short while later, they checked out at the reception and went into an alley behind the bank, remaining unseen in the quiet town during the early morning. However, Noah split up from them, assuring the rest he'd be back in a few minutes. The rest of the crew found out that Cody had parked the dirt bikes, but with their escape vehicles ready, the only crucial tool they still missed were their firearms.

''The guns are under the dumpster.'' Scarlett noted, gesturing to the underside of it. Duncan crouched down and retrieved several duffel bags. He opened one and found the shotgun and a skimask inside.

''I'll take that.'' Scarlett declared, calmly but ever dominant as she casually took the bag from Duncan. ''Don't show any fear or hesitation when we're dealing with the customers and the staff! We don't want to give them the impression that we can be talked out of this!'' She remarked as she put on her ski mask.

''We can't?'' Gwen wryly asked in response as she put on her mask as well as Noah came by.

''What did you leave for?'' Scarlett asked.

''To buy these.'' Noah answered, handing them all a compass. ''Should we get lost in the snow, at least we'll have something to find our way!''

''So what do we do now?'' Duncan asked as everyone now had a gun.

''We wait until Cody gives the sign.'' Noah instructed as they remained in the alley, making sure they're invisible to anyone on the street.

* * *

At the same moment, Cody stood on the parking lot of a roadside restaurant out of town and used his laptop to break into the bank's security as Noah explained. After cracking it down and disabling several aspects of the bank's alarm system and using several tweaks to cover it up. Before he was to execute the changes to the bank's system, he dialed the number of the Whistler police using a disposable phone. He mentally struggled with the question what to lure them with, but before someone picked up at the other end of the phone, he had a failsafe scenario ready.

* * *

A minute later, Noah and the others could hear sirens blaring from the other side of the street. Duncan poked his head out of the alley and saw a pair of police cruisers driving off with great urgency.

''Where's the fire?'' Duncan remarked, faintly impressed.

''I think Cody's responsible for that.'' Noah confidently predicted.

''So we can go now right?'' Gwen asked, almost sounding more excitable than nervous for a moment.

''Easy, he may've lured the cops, but we don't go before we have confirmation that we can go.'' Noah explained. Shortly after, Noah's phone vibrated. He checked the new message he got, and while the sole seemingly unrelated emoji had no meaning to the common layman, Noah's frown intensified as he knew what time it was. Noah poked his head out onto the street, where no one was present at the moment.

''Let's go.'' Noah declared. Scarlett pumped her shotgun and the quartet came running out of the alley and straight into the bank, blatantly ignoring the sign prohibiting ski masks in the bank. If their aggressive entrance didn't spook the people present yet, then Scarlett shooting a security camera did.

''This is a stickup! Everyone, hands in the air!'' Duncan barked shortly before he aimed his gun at a security guard who reached for his weapon, but held his hands up as soon as Duncan aimed his gun at him. Noah took his pistol before both Duncan and Noah inched back into the corners as mentioned, hiding them from street view. From behind the counter, everyone could see that the vault was open, and were pleasantly surprised with this opportunity to leave as quickly as they came.

''Stop pressing that panic button, no one's coming!'' He assured the staff as he could clearly see them pressing the alarms under their desk. ''Open the door!'' He barked at one of the women behind the desk, referring to the door to the employee section of the building. Meanwhile, one of the bank employees sneaked off to the vault and closed it.

''That wasn't so smart.'' Duncan darkly growled, training his rifle on one of the desk staff again. ''Is there anyone present who knows the combination?'' He asked with unsettling politeness. When he got no answer from the staff, stunned in fear, he started to lose his patience quickly. ''Is there?!'' He roared.

''Yes!'' A male clerk whimpered as he stepped forward.

''Open this door and open the vault or we'll start painting the room red!'' Duncan threatened as Scarlett pumped her shotgun once and aimed it at one of the hostages heads, far enough to avoid the hostage suddenly seizing the gun, but close enough for her to impossibly miss as some of them exclaimed a brief yell of fright at the apparentness of the threat.

''Sure!'' The clerk stuttered as he unlocked the door.

''We're going to do things a little different from the usual bank robbery. You just carry on with your business while we enter the vault. If you've done what you came for, take a seat at one of these benches and wait until we've made our withdrawal!'' Duncan instructed as Scarlett gestured Gwen to come along as they approached the vault.

As appallingly stoic as Gwen was to the robbery itself, she quickly started to feel bad for doing this. She had little up with banks, but seeing these innocent people who have had nothing to do with this robbery or the greater goal behind it, shaking and frightened to be unceremoniously badly rubbed Gwen the wrong way.

''Come on…'' Scarlett threateningly wheezed as the clerk inserted the code combination with her breathing down his neck and the steel of the boomstick an inch away from his head. When the clerk finally managed to open the vault despite all the pressure and Scarlett entered. Gwen stayed behind and sympathetically eyed the clerk, who cowered in a corner. She wanted to do something for him, but she had a job to do here.

However, she was greatly taken by surprise as Scarlett was held up by a guard who had hid himself in the vault. He had his gun drawn at Scarlett, who scurried back but couldn't avoid the guard's aim.

''Drop the gun!'' The guard demanded as Scarlett remained frozen in place, waiting for Gwen to take action as he was in clear sight of her and not yet aware of her presence.

Gwen drew her gun at the guard to take him down, but no matter how hard her mind ordered her finger to pull the trigger, it wouldn't crook as Gwen was overcome with dread. Even in that second between aiming her gun at the guard and him noticing her, a plethora of emotions violently coursed through Gwen. Her heart beat rapidly in her throat as she lightly but violently shook, she felt her legs getting weak as she was overcome with nerves.

The guard now turned his attention to Gwen, and even if Gwen was at risk to be shot, it began to dawn on her that she could never bring herself to shoot him, probably even if her life depended on it. She was stuck between doing what they came here for, or doing something that'd go against her moral fiber; killing someone.

However, Gwen didn't have to make a choice after all, as Scarlett used the slip in the guard's attention and wasted no beat to retaliate. She pulled the trigger and blasted the guard in his lower stomach as Gwen pitched a repressed, quiet shriek. Scarlett's aim was off and only a fraction of the shot hit the guard as he stumbled into the wall and slid down on the floor.

''What's going on there?!'' Duncan yelled after hearing the gunfire.

''We had some trouble with security.'' Scarlett responded casually before giving the downed security guard a kick in his chest as furious retribution for pointing a gun at her. As Gwen eyed the security guard in horror, lost in her own dread, Scarlett gave her a brief but firm pat on her shoulder and gestured her to come along.

As they took a closer look at the vault, they learned that it mostly contained deposit boxes, to their annoyance.

''I could try to pick the locks, but that takes too long.'' Scarlett concluded before she stomped back to the clerk. ''Where are the keys to the boxes?'' She asked, polite but hauntingly intimidating.

''Only account holders have keys.''

''Too bad.'' Scarlett replied as she drew her shotgun at the clerk and would've shot him if Gwen didn't interfere out of a desperate moral obligation to avoid more bloodshed.

''Wait!'' Gwen called, leading Scarlett into the vault and hoping that she came up with a actual idea in that short period of time. Fortunately, she got one as she switched her gun from automatic fire to burst fire and shot the locks of some deposit boxes.

''Very well.'' Scarlett remarked before she yanked out the boxes and emptied any valuables they could carry into the duffel bags, be it money or jewelry. When they had their four bags stuffed, they rushed out of the vault and out of the bank, followed by Noah and lastly Duncan, who lagged behind and kept his gun aimed at the other people before leaving to provide a clean exit. Then he decided he wanted to be sure they weren't followed and shot a burst of bullets into the ceiling before running out, badly scaring the hostages. Outside, Gwen heard the shots and was waiting for him.

''That wasn't necessary!'' Gwen yelled out of terror, knowing that she probably wasn't heard, but having had it completely with all the violence while everyone gave her either a puzzled or annoyed look.

''Okay, here comes the hard part!'' Noah explained as Scarlett handed him one of the bags and everyone got onto a bike and turned the ignition on.

''Harder than this?!'' Gwen exclaimed, appalled as she was actually happy to have left the bank and its fearful patrons behind. Though she was gone, the image remained in her mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, a short distance away from the main street, two police officers sat in their cruiser, enjoying their early morning coffee.

''Another boring day in Richville, B.C. Sanders, why were we transferred to here again?'' One of them yawned.

''Because what you did with those athletes was really bad PR, Macarthur!'' Sanders explained before taking a sip of her coffee.

''Hey, the guy was running on the middle of the road!'' Macarthur reasoned.

''That's allowed during the _marathon of Toronto_ , Macarthur! Be happy we only got transferred instead of fired.'' Sanders pointed out, still a little annoyed.

''Transferred to here? I'd call that a fate worse than death! I'd rather be back in Forest Hill, at least it's not so cold there! Nothing exciting ever happens here!'' Macarthur complained shortly before the radio cracked to life.

''Base to all available units, we got a one-three-two in progress. Suspects are armed and reported to be escaping on motorbikes. Keep an eye out.''

'' I can never tell those codes apart. What's that again?'' Macarthur asked with a raised eyebrow.

''Armed robbery!'' Sanders answered, dead serious and highly alert.

''Wow! Scrap what I just said!'' Macarthur responded, alert but excited at the prospect of business as well. Not two seconds later, Duncan and Noah raced past them just as they had split up from Gwen and Scarlett.

''There are our stick figures!'' Macarthur exclaimed as Sanders threw her coffee out of the window. Macarthur wanted to do the same, but forgot that she hadn't rolled her window down and stained it. As Sanders began to give chase, Macarthur quietly hoped Sanders wouldn't find out for a while. [1]

''Unit 21 to base, we're uh… pulling a five-o-six on the armed robbers heading out of town!'' Macarthur told the station through the radio.

''What are you doing, unit 21?'' Base responded, confused, which made Macarthur think she used the wrong code.

''Sorry, I meant we're pulling a one-eight-seven!'' Macarthur corrected.

''You're murdering them?'' Base asked, a little incredulous.

''No! We're pursuing them! They're heading out of town and we're requesting backup, over!'' Macarthur said, getting irritated.

''Backup may take a while unit 21, they're still away. Stay on the suspects' trail until then.'' Base instructed before cutting connection as Macarthur hung up as well.

''I _hate_ those codes!'' Macarthur grumbled.

Meanwhile, Sanders stayed hot on Duncan and Noah's tail as they raced down the highway running next to a train track, effortlessly weaving through the sparse traffic present. Duncan then got the idea to draw his gun at the cops and started firing at them until he emptied the clip. While Sanders and Macarthur ducked down a little in their seats, the wide spread made sure only a few bullets hit the car. Duncan looked back to the front just in time to see a truck in front of him, and could barely avoid it.

Startled by what Duncan did, Noah shot some angry gestures at Duncan to voice his displeasure with him firing at the police while it was doubtful whether Duncan actually really understood what message Noah tried to convey. Meanwhile, Duncan spotted a train up ahead, pulling many wagons and going somewhat slower than they were and got an idea. He pointed at the train before he accelerated with Noah following him. As they caught up with the train, they went off-road onto the strip of dirt separating the highway from the train tracks.

''They're going off-road!'' Macarthur stated.

''I can _see_ that!'' Sanders replied, annoyed. ''I have to stay on the road as long as possible. These cruisers don't have as much grip in the snow! One rock can send us sliding!'' She explained, correctly predicting that Macarthur wanted her to do the same.

''They aren't going to pass the train don't you think?'' Macarthur guessed just as Duncan and Noah raced ahead of the engine to gain distance.

Both were nervous to try, as they knew that if they planned the distance incorrectly, they'd crash and be caught, if they survived being rammed by a train in the first place.

''I'm going to block them off.'' Sanders declared to her partner before she drove the car off the road as well, driving over a dirt trial and getting ahead of the two bikers. This approach was the incentive Duncan and Noah needed to take a chance. It was either crossing the tracks, or be arrested. If they didn't make the crossing now, they'd be cornered by the police.

Just as Sanders slid into their path, Duncan and Noah did a quick turn and accelerated, basically flying over the train track and barely missing the honking train while Sanders and Macarthur looked on in awe.

''Wow! You only see that happening in movies!'' Macarthur cheered while Sanders on the contrary seemed utterly frustrated.

''This train goes on forever!'' Sanders growled in anger, looking at the endless line of wagons passing them. Eventually, she sighed in defeat, knowing that they couldn't find the robbers in the vast forest anymore and turned to the radio.

''Base, the one-three-two got away into the woods!'' Sanders announced, rather ashamed.

''Copy that. We've taken measures already. Return to base.'' Base responded before the two police officers turned around and headed back. Frustrated with their failure, but secretly happy with the action.

''Ew, Macarthur! You forgot to roll down the window _again_?!'' Sanders complained after noticing the coffee stain on the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a completely different part of the woodlands, Gwen and Scarlett were having a smoother escape, but only metaphorically speaking as the ground was rather bumpy. Nonetheless, there was no one on their trail and were making good progress on their route as it had slowly started to snow.

Though despite their good fortunes, Gwen wasn't feeling very bright. Images of the frightened hostages continued to persistently project themselves in her mind and the feelings of dread felt like they were consuming her. Gwen tried to shove it away, but the feelings wouldn't let themselves be ignored.

The combination of these persistent images occupying her thoughts and the bike she rode on proved to be a bad one, and Gwen failed to see a rock sticking out of the earth ahead of her and sent her falling, completely taking her by surprise as she was launched off the bike and rolled through the snow after a painful landing. Even more unfortunate is that Scarlett had to weave out of Gwen's way, and crashed as well. The only thing the women could consider themselves fortunate with is that they miraculously didn't fall on one of the sharp rocks sticking out.

''You imbecile! How could you crash?!'' Scarlett cussed as she stood over Gwen, who held her ankle in pain.

''I'm sorry! I- my mind slipped!'' Gwen apologized as she bit through the pain.

''Get up, we're already behind schedule!'' Scarlett ordered as she inspected her bike and to her increasing frustration, found that one of the wheels as well as the fuel tank were badly damaged as the latter leaked gasoline. Scarlett muttered a furious curse under her breath as she looked over at Gwen's bike and found it broken beyond repair as well.

''We're still miles away from the rendezvous point!'' Scarlett bitterly declared, using her compass and the surrounding landmarks to deduct the distance as they began walking.

''Yeah, too bad.'' Gwen replied, rather humbled as she was well aware she was the one responsible for their setback major setback. Suddenly, Scarlett drew her shotgun as the bikes and next thing Gwen knew, she was startled by a large explosion. She yelped in terror and turned to Scarlett to see her having shot the bikes as they were now on fire, ignited by the leaked fuel.

''I'm burning the genetic material on those bikes.'' Scarlett answered casually, predicting what Gwen was going to ask. ''If we stay on the trial, we should get there eventually.'' She continued as if nothing happened.

''We better hurry! This snowstorm is starting to get serious!'' Gwen added as she shot a concerned look at the sky above, where the densely packed clouds turned a ominous shade of grey as a omen of the storm to come.

* * *

At the same moment, Noah and Duncan arrived at the rendezvous point a good distance away and stopped, providing a moment that Noah had been wanting to use to have a good talk with Duncan.

''Duncan, what the _fuck_ were you thinking?!'' Noah scolded him.

''Yeah I know. That stuff with the train was tight!'' Duncan remarked, a little shook up from their daring escape.

''No, I meant how you shot at the police!'' Noah pointed out. ''Good grief! If we're caught, not only will we go behind bars for armed robbery, but also assault or even manslaughter! Probably for life!''

''What are you worrying about? We're not going behind bars we made a clean getaway!'' Duncan cockily pointed out, humored by Noah's concern.

''I always make sure all my bases are loaded Duncan so that when things go wrong, the damage is manageable!'' Noah explained before he shook his head in disgust. ''Just don't go crazy with your trigger finger again!'' He cautioned Duncan.

''Whatever.'' Duncan scoffed, unfazed by what Noah had to say. Afterwards, they waited in silence as the snowstorm slowly got more intense.

''What's taking the ladies? We're already late.'' Duncan wondered, staring into the distance.

''Something went wrong.'' Noah gravely predicted.

''Should we call them?''

''No. That makes us traceable for the police, if they hadn't caught them yet. I don't think we have reception in this storm anyway.'' Noah answered before he revved up his bike. ''We have to go look for them out there. Stay close.'' He stated, actually sounding a little worried before he drove off into the storm, closely followed by Duncan.

* * *

In the middle of nowhere, Gwen and Scarlett were struggling to get ahead as the rather strong wind slowed them down while the thick snowfall limited their vision. The only consolation they got left was that they wore ski masks, and Gwen was actually happy they served their actual purpose for a change. Scarlett tried to look for landmarks, as they did when they first reconnoiter the route. But with the whiteout limiting their vision, Scarlett had no reference points to predict their location with and was next to lost.

''What were we thinking robbing a bank and going into the middle of nowhere on the day a snowstorm kicked up?!'' Gwen yelled to get over the howling wind.

''If everything went according to plan, they'd have cleared our tracks, both literally and figuratively speaking.'' Scarlett explained, followed by a moody grumble. ''But not everything went according to plan.''

''Are you sure we're still on the trail?'' Gwen asked.

''I doubt it. But as long as we keep going south and downhill, we should at least end up in civilization soon. We'll briefly hide the take to avoid suspicion and from there we'll pinpoint how far we went off-route and what course of action we take.''

''Sounds risky.'' Gwen remarked.

''So does dying in the wilderness.'' Scarlett gravely replied, both unwittingly and willfully unnerving Gwen with the thought of them succumbing to the cold, alone and lost. As scenarios began to play in her mind, Gwen's head peeked up when she heard something.

''Hey… do you hear bikes too?'' Gwen asked. The women listened and could faintly hear the humming of engines through the wind. ''Are that Noah and Duncan?'' Gwen wondered.

''Only they would be crazy enough to go biking in a snowstorm. And even if it isn't them, I take any rescue I can get.'' Scarlett responded before they spotted two faint lights through the snow, a fair distance ahead of them. But to their horror, was moving away from them.

''Hey! HEY!'' Gwen yelled as loud as she could to desperately get the bikers' attention, but knew that the wind blocked out her yells. Thinking quick, Scarlett aimed her shotgun up and shot it once. The bang echoed through the storm. While Scarlett admittedly wasn't sure if it was loud enough, that the bikers in the distance slowed down at least proved her that they heard _something_.

''Come!'' Scarlett yelled at Gwen as they slowly walked towards the lights while Scarlett shot around round. Scarlett fired another shell into the air as Gwen joined along and shot her gun as well and caught the attention of the bikers as the lights turned around and approached them, the light brightening until the women could clearly see Duncan and Noah riding the vehicles.

''Thank god!'' Gwen exclaimed, very relieved as she briefly embraced Noah out of sheer gratitude to faith.

''What happened? Where are your bikes?'' Noah asked, as relieved to find them in the snow as he was miffed.

''Gwen crashed and through a extremely unlikely turn of events, both our bikes got damaged beyond repair!'' Scarlett accusatively explained.

''Hop on, we've already wasted enough time! I know the way back!'' Noah called before Gwen and Scarlett climbed onto the guys' bikes and departed.

* * *

Having parked his truck and log trailer at the side of the highway next to a lake, Geoff was impatiently waiting by the side of the road, already waiting _thrice_ as long as he hoped to wait. Not only was he getting impatient, the snowstorm chilled him to the bone as well. He wanted to leave as he slowly lost faith that they'd still make it, and began to suspect that they had been caught.

''One last minute guys. If you're not here, I'll forget everything we did, just as you told me to.'' Geoff tensely muttered to himself after checking the time on his watch. Shortly after, he heard engines roars coming from the woods and was very glad to see that they still made it, even if they were very late.

''Good lord! What took you?!'' Geoff exclaimed, sounding angry but actually being worried.

''Lots of things.'' Noah dismissively answered, not wanting to waste more time than they had to as he took everyone's duffel bag. ''Where's your hiding spot?'' He subsequently asked as Geoff gestured him to come along.

''Here, between the trees! They're safe there!'' Geoff remarked as he climbed onto his trailer as Noah handed him the first duffel bag. Geoff stuffed it between the trunks with little trouble, making them hard to see unless you looked directly at them.

''You were right Noah. They've set up roadblocks on all routes leading out of the county, I heard it on the radio!'' Geoff remarked as he hid the last bag. ''That's it. They should be safe there, brah!''

''Nice spot.'' Noah complimented, humble but faintly genuine as well. ''After you've went through the roadblocks, drop the loot off with Cody and then finish your job!''

''Of course dude!'' Geoff responded as he walked back to his cabin.

''Good luck.'' Noah called after him as Gwen weakly waved at her friend until he started his truck and drove off. ''And we should go too.'' Noah declared as they jumped back on their bikes and went off-road again.

* * *

After another short ride, the crew ended up within walking distance of their final destination, a rest stop. They got off their bikes and laid them down on the ground, out of view. Scarlett was to blow them up like she did earlier, but figured that it may attract unwanted attention this time.

''My dudes! My ladies!'' Cody happily greeted them as he sat outside the van, waiting for them.

''Did Geoff hand the loot over?'' Noah asked.

''Yes he did! Four bags full of money and other valuables!'' Cody announced, taking one bag out and showing it to the rest.

''Let's go home. I'm dying for a coffee or anything hot!'' Duncan called as they got into the van.

''Excellent, that means once we get home, then we can add another successful heist to our resume!'' Noah concluded, delightedly rubbing his hands while Duncan cast a smile as well, Scarlett only displayed very subtle approval of Noah's statement anyhow while Gwen on the contrary seemed very broken.

''I beg to differ. Both your and our escape was littered with unnecessarily and uncalculated risks if your story about how you escaped that cop car has to be taken at face value!'' Scarlett countered.

''Given everything that had happened, I have to agree with you. But the robbery itself went off without much of a hitch!'' Duncan admitted.

''That went pretty smooth, yes. Even considering all that had happened.'' Scarlett agreed on her turn.

''Hey Cody, the cops didn't spare the horses when they left to turn you in. How'd you get them so worked up?'' Duncan asked, curious.

''I… may've threatened with a bomb attack on the restaurant I called from!'' Cody sheepishly admitted, to Duncan's amazement.

Gwen's focus slowly drifted off as the conversation continued. Even after everything, she was heavily burdened by the horrors she witnessed today. She felt horrible. The guilt and the horror made her feel as if her heart was pumping poison through her veins, spreading a tense, suffocating sensation all through her body with every heartbeat.

She helped robbing innocent people today, and it only dawned they were innocents once it was too late. She had no moral qualms robbing the diamond dealer, he was rich enough and had it coming anyway, but these people didn't deserve the trauma and the harm at all. The sight of the frightened hostages remained printed in her mind as well as their screams, or the security guard and his bloody gut laying all over the floor, withering in pain as the sickly warm, vomit-inducing stench of blood was etched into her nose.

What just happened only a short while was so very overwhelming for Gwen, and the images were becoming like a vindictive ghost that'd haunt her for the rest of her life, not leaving her to be no matter how much she wanted.

* * *

 **Action scenes are so awkward to write!**

 **[1] A Police Academy reference!**

 **The chapter is a little shorter than I intended, but I couldn't stretch it any more than I already did! Still, I hope it was a satisfying read and leaves you longing to know what'd happen next!**

 **Until next update.**

 **:D,**

 **L.W.**


	10. Money Can't Buy You Happiness

**Let's see if you can tell which parts were written by me, and which were written by Applauze!**

 **Joel Connell: Ultimately, the trouble they faced was minimal, but there was troubles yet again regardless. That can't keep happening without anyone probably getting severely ticked off, can it? Especially with Gwen around. But we can only wait to see how that ends up! And looking back, not only has the bank job of the previous chapter similarities to the prologue heist, but also the Paleto heist and the jewel store robbery!**

 **Great Idea Alert: Someone else has figured by now that many innocents were indirectly involved in this heist. And that person probably feels rather guilty indeed! As for the shooting locks thing? It was either that or using a plastic explosive, and that probably would've blown out the wall and alerted the entire town! And yes, if you consider a TV show host constructed a entire mechanical island full of sophisticated A.I, successfully shooting locks is actually pretty realistic! As for your plot-questions, you'll probably be pleased to hear that all of it will be touched upon in some way this chapter!**

 **Applauze: You know, there's a reason tickets for that train are... _crazy_ cheap! It completely slipped me we made it to the double-digit mark already! It depends on what you think is special, but just like the last time, after the heists is when the dust settles back... only to be kicked back up again in a more exciting way!**

 **Jster1983: Who's next you ask? This chapter may not be clear on that, but if you go through the previous chapters to spot a recurring trend related to the 'clue' you get, maybe you can get a pretty solid idea what's up next!**

 **Chrismustsuffer: I'll have to tell you a little secret; We remained pretty vague on the exact worth of every take because it wasn't very relevant to the overarching story as well as that we left it to the individual reader to imagine how much they took! Other than that, I have to say that you're a pretty perceptive reader! Can you possibly figure out what the next heist will be as well from the clue you get?**

 **Guest: Oh stop it you! There are plenty of other great stories! A feature on Tvtropes is a great achievement, but if it can box up against some of the other jewels on there? We wouldn't know for sure!**

 **Like last time, this chapter is a breather after the heist, so that's why it's a little shorter!** **But careful readers; This chapter is still T, but near the end of the chapter, some rather grim event takes place.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Money Can't Buy You Happiness**

* * *

"Ah man, it feels good to be home!"

Duncan felt relieved as he walked into his trailer. After completing the heist on the bank, he wanting nothing more than to go home. Ever since he got out of prison and joined the group, he had been living in a apartment in Victoria. Sure it wasn't any Buckingham Palace and was a bit rundown, but he was trying to make it decent and neat, though it was taking him longer than what he expected.

He sat down on his bed and sighed. Two successful heists had been completed and he had a huge piece of the money payout pie. Though they were still determining what the payout from the bank would be when he left, he knew that it was going to be big. With the $20,000 he received from the blood diamonds and based on the fact they made off with four huge duffle bags full of cash and jewels, he firmly believed that he would receive a larger payday. It would be three weeks before the money made it to his bank account, one that was under his alias of a Mr. Nelson Lawhead.

While Duncan was excited to be doing these heist and getting rich as a result, it was who he was that shocked him the most. He never expected himself to see anyone from the show again, let alone work with them on breaking major laws. The only person that he actually enjoyed working with on the team was Cody. Although he despised the geek at one point, he admired the fact that Cody had the balls to unleash a bomb threat and was not afraid of hijacking major security networks in the name of teamwork. Noah, he thought, was also pretty enjoyable, though he wished the egghead wouldn't be so uptight on everyone. However, with the amount of money Duncan now had and with more coming his way, he wasn't complaining. Then there was Geoff. While they did stop talking to one another on a sour note, they did start managing to be decent toward one another again. Being with Geoff made him realize how much similar their lives paralleled one another and how often they received the short end of the stick. As for the girls, he thought, they were tolerable. Of course, he thought back to that night at the cabin.

* * *

 _Duncan had no idea how this would turn out. When Noah arrived, he reprimanded them for not keeping the appearance of two couples on their honeymoon. They pointed out that Noah had no place to stay, but he quickly remarked that he was staying in a one-room lodge not far from where their cabins were. So with reluctance, Cody and Gwen headed toward their respective cabins since Duncan and Scarlett refused to move._

 _So when it came time for bed, Gwen was already in the bed covered up. Duncan came in and sat on the edge. "Gwen, I know it's been a while, but try to control yourself. I need some rest." Gwen kicked his rear end and he fell onto the floor. "What the hell was that for?" He asked._

 _"You're not getting into bed with me!"_

 _"Where I am supposed to sleep?"_

 _"On the floor." Came Gwen's cold answer._

 _''Like any dog?''_ _Duncan muttered. He just snatched a pillow and a sheet and made a bed on the hardwood floor. "I don't have to beg a woman to let me into bed. Women come to me!" He declared in a barbaric fashion in a attempt to hold a mirror to Gwen._

 _"Right after they get the approval number on your Mastercard!"_

 _Duncan just glared at her. "Good night."_

 _"Oh go to hell." She added while turning off the lamp._

 _They settled into their positions of sleep. Duncan laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling before starting to laugh. "Duncan, if you're doing what you normally do when you're alone, you're in big trouble," Gwen remarked._

 _"I was remembering the first time you kicked me out of bed and I slept on the floor."_

 _"Oh yeah, that hidden paradise cottage Chris made us stay in when we were in Hawaii."_

 _"Where every cottage is April in Paris."_

 _"And every bathroom Calcutta in July."_

 _They both broke out laughing at the memory. "Do you remember how I convinced you to let me back into bed?" He asked._

 _"No." She replied, turning her head to look at him as she secretly regretted even engaging in conversation._

 _"I said the sweetest things and made you feel like the most important person in the whole world. Then I would message you until you scooted over and we would talk before making love."_

 _"Duncan Muntz, I don't believe this. Are you trying to seduce me?"_

 _"Is it working?"_

 _"I don't think so."_

 _"Well, then you leave me no choice to bring out the big gun." He smirked while leaning over Gwen._

 _She rolled away from him, trying not to laugh. "You're wasting your time. I'm all too familiar with the big gun."_

 _Duncan started to make a move, but he shot up when he heard the bedroom door slam open. In came Scarlett, dragging Cody behind her. "Gwen, get up! Come back to the cabin. I can't do this shit!"_

 _"But we have a cover to maintain." Cody pointed out._

 _"To hell with the cover!" Scarlett replied. "I can't do this. I can't be in the same bed with Cody. I'm constantly worried something will happen. I'd rather be with Gwen than you."_

 _"That would be hot," Duncan added._

 _"I didn't ask you!" She yelled. "Gwen! Let's head back to the cabin. I have a feeling you want some relief."_

 _"You're not telling me anything new," Gwen replied._

 _"As for you two, think of me as the Berlin Wall. If you follow us or even think of coming into our cabin without knocking, you'll know how barbed wire will feel like between your legs!" Scarlett yelled as she locked the cabin door. Although Gwen raised an eyebrow at this, she decided that they would be fine sharing a bed. They would come back to unlock them in the morning._

* * *

After that night, he thought of the girls as more of a curse than a blessing toward the team. He thought that Gwen was bad, but with Scarlett, they unleashed a wrath unlike any other force in nature. Sometimes he was fearful that Scarlett was a bit too demanding but he never dared to admit that in front of her face. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live and enjoy the money he had.

But even with all the money he now had, Duncan wondered why he felt so alone.

He looked all around him and saw that his past had alienated him from most of his friends and family. When he left his criminal past behind to join Noah's group, he alienated the friends he made while breaking the law. What few friends he had on the show were off doing their own thing and none of his exes even acknowledged him when he was out and about. So he lamented at the fact that his only friends were Noah and others.

"Is this what loneliness feels like?' He asked.

He thought of ways he could be happy. He could go and buy an expensive car or a fancy apartment or whatever he wanted. However, he extinguished the thought when he realized that it would be too suspicious and that even with those fancy material items, a lack of friends would make them unenjoyable.

"This stinks." He mumbled. "I almost wish that I was back at the apartment. At least I would have someone to talk to."

Duncan looked in the mirror and saw the disheveled man that he becoming again. However, it was as if the mirror gave him a revelation. He looked back at himself and thought about it for a moment, before realizing what the mirror was telling him. "I need a fresh look. I'm tired of having this dreary appearance. Perhaps that's the first step on a new look on life but, before I do anything, I really need some coffee."

As he made some coffee, he lifted the window and felt the nice fresh air breathe some life into the two-room home on wheels. It was still winter, but Victoria often felt more like spring during this time of year. He could see the grass starting to grow, the tree buds forming, and flowers starting to poke up from the Earth. It was a season of life. It was a season of beauty. It was a season of new chances.

And he was grateful for that.

* * *

Geoff grumbled as he made it back to his truck. "That is the last time I will do such a favor for Noah!"

While he wasn't sure how Noah would react when he learned that Geoff quit his truck driving job the moment he returned at the depot. Despite the threat of the wrath of God from Noah, Geoff was willing to face that wrath. It had been a good month since he took up the job and being on the road made him realize how much more he had to stand up for himself. He didn't know how he would be able to respond to Noah, but he knew that he would have a strong ally in Gwen. It was great to see her and Cody again. They were still the same awesome people on the show, but a little bit older. Duncan was okay. They had a falling out years earlier and while it was tense between them two at first, he was now starting to rediscover the friendship they once had. Noah was decent, but Geoff did not like he was always in charge and got angry when someone questioned him. Of course, he did realize that paled in comparison to the only member of the team that he didn't trust any: Scarlett. Her persona just rubbed him the wrong way and he did not like it when she would snap over the smallest detail. All he could hope was that she didn't blow a gasket anytime soon.

As he headed back toward Saskatchewan, Geoff couldn't help but think about Gwen. He did owe her one since she did not only help him from going back down the road of alcoholism but to stand his ground, even if it ended up not working for but just a moment. He did notice that she looked worried after he picked up the duffle bags from the bank robbery.

He felt bad for not staying in touch with her and being a jerk toward her in some of the later seasons of the shows. After all these years, he realized what a great person she was and wanted to seek her help in her addiction struggles, but the inner demons possessed him so much that he never thought about seeking her advice. It made him feel guilty since he knew how good of friends she and Bridgette were until the show ended.

Just thinking about Bridgette did give him some hope for the future. He hoped that this money would allow him to finally get on his own two feet and to clean up his act. Perhaps then he could try to find her and prove that he did deserve one more genuine chance. He knew that all of the other chances he messed up were his fault, but it took losing her to realize how far down the rabbit hole he had fallen into the world of partying, alcohol, drugs, and sex. Becoming clean was almost a divine calling of sorts for him. He now wanted to use the money to destroy the indulges he once enjoyed and to clean humanity of these things in the name of decency. If he could just see her again, he could show that he was a different man and would humble himself for her sake.

Except that Bridgette had all but vanished from the face of the Earth. When he first got clean, he tried to contact and find her, but to no avail. No one close to her knew where she was. He even asked Cody to try and find her as they prepared for their first heist, but since she never made a Facemag, that was a dead end. He knew that she was out there and promised himself that as soon as these heists were over, he would find her and the first thing he'd do was to apologize for the dark path he fell into.

But for now, all he could do was hope. He couldn't wait to go home and rest. Noah would have to wait another time.

* * *

Time went by agonizingly slow...

Three weeks had passed since Gwen and her companions robbed a bank in Whistler. Like their first undertaking, she had hoped to have all but forgotten their heist by now. But she was in for a bad surprise when she grew to realize as early as inside the bank itself that her conscience would not let it slip this time. The robbery was a hot topic and all over the news for days to come, stories about the trauma and the injured guard were seemingly endlessly repeated everywhere Gwen went, and it made her sick in her soul. But even when it passed on like every other news, Gwen couldn't forget.

It kept her mind hostage. The near-constant state of anxiety not only affected her emotional and health, but her physical health began to suffer as well. She could barely sleep, for if the anguish of hurting innocents occupied her thoughts. And if she did manage to fall asleep, often their images would haunt her dreams. She could barely eat. With every bite she took, she risked vomiting it all out again as it felt like her soul was powerfully choking her. The reduced nutrition and constant stress made her lose weight, bags began to form under her eyes and her hair was falling out.

Naturally, this didn't slip the attention of her close ones. Gwen hadn't contacted Leshawna for a while, and when she paid Gwen a surprise visit, she was shocked when the door was opened by a sickly-looking and distraughtly acting Gwen, who had to put in a lot of effort to convince Leshawna that she has had a nasty stomach bug.

Then there was her mother who got very concerned with her daughter as well. Plenty of times did Gwen just want to throw herself into her mother's arms to cry like a little girl and confess what she had done and what anxiety was consuming her, but she knew that she risked the operation and possibly her life. It only hurt Gwen so much more that she had to lie to both of them. They didn't deserve it to be treated to this farce.

Lastly, one would think that her share of the loot would be a consolation. But when it was funneled onto her bank account, it quite contrary was the final straw that made Gwen utterly despondent. What if the owner of the boxes were down to their last money, and Gwen had completely ruined their lives? She didn't want this blood money, but she didn't know what to do with it either.

One night, as she tried to cry herself to sleep, she realized that living like this was unbearable and spent hours trying to find a way to cope with it, but everything she came up with was flawed or risky; it was a hopeless search. However, in a desperate need for peace, Gwen turned to the last alternative she could imagine, and left her apartment in the midst of the night.

Gwen knew of a place in a shadier part of town, a abandoned factory of which she heard stories that heroin dealers pushed their product there. She remembered how much her mother would stress to never get in contact with the stuff, but she felt like she was being torn up, and wished to try this before attempting suicide would become all too alluring.

As she arrived at the factory, the high amount of what she assumed to be gang members hanging around the area proved the stories for her. The fact that she wasn't harassed in any way probably only had to do with that they didn't want to scare away another potential customer. Gwen looked around, and found the only accessible entrance to be guarded by a husky man.

''What you want?'' The guard growled.

''I need to party, I think.'' She numbly answered. This was enough of a password and the guard let her pass. Inside, the path to the dealer on the upper floor was littered by gang members and regular customers, strung-out and lost in their own drug-induced bliss as calm rock music quietly played through the building. Gwen envied their detachment from their problems, but at the same time it rubbed her the wrong way. For a moment, she hesitated. But once she reached the dealer, her mind was set. She wanted to get rid of her suffocating guilt bad enough to turn to drugs. She paid for a fix, and found a secluded corner.

She had no first-hand experience with drug use, but she had seen plenty of it everywhere to know what to do. She administered the drug and felt how a warm sensation entered her bloodstream. Her anxiety addling her body faded away and was replaced by a calming warmth as it felt like Gwen began to hover before she lost consciousness, the last thing she heard being the music soothing her soul.

* * *

This went on for a few weeks. Gwen became a familiar face in the factory, which was known as 'The Brown Mill' to its regulars and occupants alike. Predictably, Gwen became dependent on the heroin, though more so than she cared to admit. It was the only way she believed could keep her demons away, and even so, she still found no other way to exorcise them. Every day, money was funneled onto her account under the guise of painting sales, and it was that she had this steady revenue, otherwise she'd have to turn to desperate and humiliating measures to afford her exorcisms, which were getting increasingly more common and remarkably less satisfying as Gwen callously forgot about who the money she paid it with originally belonged to.

This day was no different, she waited for her turn to buy in the mill. However, she was alarmed by ruckus, and more concerning gun shots, coming from one of the lower floor as she looked down the stairwell, and spotted plenty of police officers charging up the stairs, threateningly shouting.

''Police!''

''Nobody move!''

The dealer abandoned his product and tried to flee, accompanied by his associates as the buyers tried to follow their example. Gwen was no exception, but despite coming here with increasing frequency, she didn't know one bit about any possible escape routes and in her blind escape attempt, she tripped over someone. Laying on the floor and casting a angry look at who she tripped over, it was a addict who looked positively horrible, even for a drug user; Unshaven, poorly dressed and with a horrible stench of feces and booze around her as she laid in her own filth, completely uprooted from reality if she was even alive anymore. Gwen breathed heavily as she shot up and was hit with a shocking revelation; this was what she was becoming. Her need for solace was destroying her, while not as traumatizing as her guilt, but she knew that it was going to be much worse in the long run. She was so badly shocked by this realization that she completely forgot about her escape until she was swarmed by police enforcers.

''Mercy! Mercy!'' Gwen surrendered as she was forced her back on the ground and was cuffed, too weakened by her turbulent lifestyle to resist even if she wanted to.

As she was being escorted out of the building, she resolutely decided that this was not the way to deal with her problems, it never was. She needed to do something productive, either for herself, or society. Like how she gifted Leshawna the ivory statue she stole from the man who she believed was never served any justice. Gwen just needed a perfect way to do so. As she was brought outside to be loaded into a van, she looked around the area for inspiration, but the only notable aspect of the rundown neighborhood was the skillfully applied graffiti;which got her thinking as she was transported to the police station. Her mind drifted off, thinking about graffiti and how it was a art in itself.

And just as she thought that, she knew how she could repay society for her sins.

* * *

 **Let's see how many of you can guess how Gwen thinks she can!**

 **There you have it again! Another aftermath chapter to bridge the gap between one heist and... whatever follows next!**

 **Fave, follow and review if you like!**

 **:D,**

 **L.W.**


	11. The Art Of The Bargain

**Joel Connell: Sometimes people just see no other option before they turn to even more dangerous ways to ease their traumas. It's human! And yes, there's no telling whether it could've driven Gwen over the edge completely if the guard didn't make it!**

 **Flashlight237: I don't mean to sound like a common clickbait article, but the truth will shock you!**

 **Derick Lindsey: I could give a lengthy explanation on what could or is going to happen, but I rather suggest you go read it instead! It's much more fun that way! I can tell you though, she may've found a good way to deal with the guilt!**

 **Jster1983: Wow, is that what you really think? That'd make a really unexpected twist! If you consider the possibility of Noah scolding her though, I don't know what'd be the better choice for her though!**

 **Applauze: You and me both know that Noah is perhaps not the most dangerous person among them, right? :D**

 **Great Story Alert: I have to stay brief, but I got to say that you have some really interesting insights into some things as you made some really good points regarding Gwen's attitude! Though at the same time, you should consider that she turned to heroin out of sheer despondency! It doesn't fully excuse anything, but it's an explanation! Furthermore, let's see what you'll think of her after this chapter!**

 **And an epilogue with _all_ characters would be a little too much, but stories do usually have a satisfying ending nonetheless!**

 **ChrisMustSuffer: That you had thought up more than three scenarios is baffling me enough as it is already! And of course, Chris has** **_a lot_ coming. But after that incident with that guard last chapter, I'd doubt everyone would be in favor of just tossing him off a cliff! However, maybe there are more satisfying ways to deal with him... but I'm not telling anything! Lastly, yes, life got in the way of the story, but if it wasn't for Applauze here, we wouldn't have even continued! Be grateful to him for convincing me!**

 **Guest: Now that you mention it, Gwen _does_ have a history of really bad judgment and decisions... never fully realized that! And no problem for the shoutout! :D**

 **RevengeBestCold: Please! Those are all professional-grade works of art while this is much more of a hobby project to vent our ideas with! It's not that I appreciate the compliment, but do know what you're comparing this to! :]**

 **You also have a really elaborate on how Chris should be dealt with! I bet you're rearing for the big climax, are you? :)**

 **Good grief! Replying to these reviews is a chore on its own! But it's worth it! :D**

 **I'm sorry for giving rather short responses compared to others, but I don't want to constantly have to repeat the same to you or others. Just know that we really appreciate getting such dedicated reviews!**

 **Contrary to the norm, Applauze wrote this chapter! As such, he gets to conclude this author note as well!**

 **Hello hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter that I've been working on. You guys might have wondered where I've been for the past few months. I was busy completing my first year of college and didn't have as much time to write due to all of the work I had to do for my classes. That being said, I'm off for the next four months so expect some great contributions from me. I've mentioned to Warrior that this third heist is my favorite one since it deals with stolen art, a subject that I've read and studied quite a bit. But I shouldn't keep you guys from the story! I'll resume this at the bottom of the page! c:**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: The Art Of The Bargain**

* * *

Following her arrest, Gwen couldn't help but wonder how she got herself into this mess. While it took her two months to get hooked on heroin, it took her fifteen minutes to get hooked off of it. When she called her mother and told her what happened, it was in no time that she was at the police station bailing Gwen out. Gwen was rewarded with a fifteen-minute car ride back to her apartment in which her mother gave her a mouthful of such strong enough language that Gwen decided right then and there to never even go near heroin ever again. She felt like she was sixteen all over again.

To say that her mother was hurt would be an understatement. Her mother was furious. The normally calm woman who looked out for her daughter gave such a tongue lashing that left Gwen in tears. Fortunately, Gwen wasn't verbally battered enough to come up with a excuse as to why she began doing heroin in the first place, claiming that she had engaged in a rather dark part of the local artistic underground which left a bit of a habit on her. Gwen had to agree to go to a local rehab center and to give her mother control of her finances until she was clean. Fortunately all the money of her share had been funneled by now, so her mother wouldn't come across any suspicious deposits to her account.

Furthermore , her mother decided to not move her out of her apartment, which was a blessing as Gwen did love living there, but always called three times a day and checked in at least once a week to make sure she was not falling off the clean wagon. While Gwen was hurt by her mother's actions at first, she came to realize that it was being done because her mother loved her so much and didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

The same, however, couldn't be said for her consciousness. Although she did eat a little and slept some, Gwen's mind was still feeling guilty about Whistler. No matter how many times she assured herself that it was the right thing to do, her mind pointed out the great wrong she committed not only toward herself but toward society. Finally, she couldn't handle the burden anymore. Although her mother was still skeptical, she did get Gwen a new phone since Scarlett had accidentally smashed hers back at the cabin. She was relieved that her contacts transferred over and proceeded to call Noah, hoping that he would answer.

To her relief, Noah did answer. "Hello?"

"Hey," Gwen replied.

"Oh hey, I didn't know who this was for a moment."

"Sorry about that. I had to get a new phone since Scarlett smashed mine at the cabin."

"That's understandable. What do you want?"

Gwen paused a moment, fearful of what his reaction might be. "I need to talk to the rest."

"Wait, the rest?" Noah asked.

"Well, what other rest would I be talking about?" She added.

Noah hated to admit it over the phone, but Gwen did have a point. "Oh, you know what I mean. So why do you need to talk with the others?"

"I actually need to talk to everyone, including you."

"How come?"

"Well-" She paused. Gwen was at a crossroads on how to answer, but didn't know what path to take would be the safe one. But then she remembered seeing the graffiti following her arrest. "- I want to discuss a potential target we could do next."

" _Another_ target?" Noah asked, both confused and skeptical. ''We better train our focus on Chris's headquarters. I'd say we know the ropes by now.''

"I don't think so," Gwen contradicted.

Noah sighed. He wasn't sure what Gwen was about, but wanted to hear her out nonetheless. "Fine. When do you want us to meet up?"

"Actually, I was thinking that we could do it over Skythe. That way, we don't have to meet up anytime soon and we can discuss it from the convenience of our apartments."

"Hmm, that might work out better since I believe Scarlett's in Montreal right now and Geoff's at his family ranch since he quit the trucking job I assigned him to."

"Wait, he did?"

"Yes, he did, immediately when he came back from hauling our take. I'm not too happy with him right now since him stopping so soon could've compromised all of us."

"Huh. I never thought he had it in him." Gwen remarked, slightly impressed that Geoff finally stood up for himself a little. She would have to high five him the next time she saw him.

"Neither did I, but I can see what the others can do about the call. However, since it's your idea, you'll have to decide when the call will be. So you should talk to the others and see what works best for them."

"Well, what about you?"

"Honestly, Gwen. You should know me by now. I'm free for whenever you want to do it as long as it has significance."

"It'll will have.'' Gwen promised. ''Alright, Noah, I got the message. I better call the others up right away."

"Yeah, good luck on that."

* * *

After several phone calls and conversating with the others, Gwen managed to figure out that a Friday night call would be the best option for everyone. Before she knew it, it was sundown on Friday. It was almost time for the call.

Gwen checked her watch and saw that it was the correct time. She logged onto her laptop and opened up Skypthe. When the blue S opened up the app, she went to the group she had made earlier that morning. She clicked on it, saw that everyone was online, and pressed video call.

After a moment of connection, a black screen appeared with Gwen's face in the corner. "Hello?" She asked.

"Hey, Gwen!" Came Geoff's somewhat tired voice as his camera turned on. "This is the first time I've used this since I worked in the pizza shop. I'm surprised it's still working." [1]

"Glad to see that you didn't have much of an issue figuring it out then?"

"Oh no brah, it was easy. Say, where is everyone else?"

It was as if on cue, Duncan, Cody, and Noah turned their cameras on and appeared on the screen. "I'm surprised we're all here," Duncan commented.

"No. We're still missing Scarlett." Noah pointed out.

"She should be on at any moment. She told me that she was on the phone with someone, but didn't specify who it was." Cody added.

True to Cody's word, the sixth, and final, screen, turned its camera on, and there sat Scarlett. "Sorry for the delay in communication. I had an urgent matter of business to attend to. Now, shall we get started with this emergency meeting?"

"Well, it's not quite an emergency meeting. I lied." Gwen nervously remarked.

"Then, what is this about?" Noah asked with a raised eyebrow. "For once, I'm generally confused and I'm sure everyone else is also." The other four members were in agreement with Noah. "Just tell us. We all know that in a heist group, there are no secrets."

Gwen paused for a few moments, trying to get her thoughts together. "So you guys want to know the truth?"

"That would be nice for a change." Duncan inquired.

"Oh shut up." Gwen hissed. "Alright. You all will receive the truth." Before she began, she made a mental note to refrain from the heroin usage and arrest. That was to remain hidden from the others no matter the cost. "Ever since we robbed the bank back in Whistler, my mind's been nothing full of guilt. It's not guilt from the rush and the excitement of it, but the guilt that what if we took a person's life savings? What if we ruined their lives? What if they lost the last of their fortunes as a result of our actions?"

"Well, I say tough luck on them. I-"

"Guys, let's just hear her out," Geoff interrupted.

Gwen appreciated the support from her friend before continuing. "This guilt has weighed on my mind for quite some time, and while I've tried to shut it down and eliminate it, it keeps becoming a stronger essence within my mind. It consumes me whole. That being said, it made me think of something."

"Which is?" Scarlett inquired, crooking one eyebrow as a hunch crept onto her that she wasn't going to like what Gwen thought up.

"It made me think about a conversation I had with Scarlett both prior to the mansion and Whistler heists." Scarlett froze in surprise as she honestly didn't expect it involved her. "Scarlett, I remember you mentioning that Chris had acquired lots of illegal art over the years and how you know the number of stolen artworks and where they came from. However, you've not told me the whole story. You've mentioned to me that you have a collection of documents dealing with the art, what pieces Chris has, and where they might be; but you've not shown me any of the documents or if it's even true."

This infuriated Scarlett since she had always been truthful. "Well, of course, it's true! Why else would I have been working on some of the documents when we were in Whistler? I remember when Cody took me skiing that some of the papers got wet and those were the same ones you saw me drying over the fire."

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Noah inquired, clearly not happy at Scarlett. "You mean to tell me that you've been sitting on a wealth of information for a potential heist this whole time and didn't even bother to tell me in the slightest?!"

"I have several reasons not to since this is my personal project and I never even considered risking it through one of our undertakings. But also because this is Chris who we're dealing with, the same Chris whose made all of our lives miserable!" Scarlett pointed out.

"Guys, let's not tear Scarlett to shreds. She might've had a good reason for holding back on this." Cody inquired, coming to her defense. For once, she appreciated Cody coming to her aid.

"Okay, since we clearly know that Scarlett is not lying, I want us to stage a heist and retrieve Chris' illegal art and-"

"Woah there. We just robbed a bank. Do you have any idea how difficult robbing Chris is going to be of this? Especially when we already have our sights set on another target of his?" Duncan acknowledged.

"I don't care. My mind is made up. If we don't retrieve the art, which will put my mind to ease about the potential of ruining someone's life as a result of our actions, I will turn myself into the police and confess about robbing the bank."

It was as if on cue, a bomb had exploded within the group.

Everyone was angry that Gwen would even dare to consider turning herself in. Cries of "Are you crazy?!" "Do you have any idea what this will do to us?" and "You'll drag all of us under with this" came from the others, except Noah.

"Hold on a moment." He stated. "We might be able to find a way of this gunk. Gwen, what do you want to do with the art? Sell it on the black market?"

"Absolutely not! That would defeat the purpose of the heist." Gwen staunchly stated.

"Then if you don't want to sell the art? What is your purpose?"

Gwen sighed. She knew that her answer was not going to be well received. "I'm wanting to take the art and drop it off somewhere so that it can be picked up and returned to its rightful owners."

This prompted even an angrier sea of objections.

"This is a bad idea! Why would we risk our necks for something that won't grab us any dough?" Duncan asked.

"For once, Duncan is right. I mean, I know that your heart is in the right place, Gwen, but I still have some serious debts to pay off. A heist without any reward doesn't seem like a good investment in the long run." Cody pointed out.

"I just want to get away from being on the road, so you can count me in," Geoff added. This gave Gwen some major relief since she had a sympathetic supporter for her cause amongst a highly toxic group at the moment. ''However, I didn't do so to constantly have to get back into the cab, so we're cool on this, but don't do it again.'' He warned, souring her relief a little.

Noah, meanwhile, sat in deep thought for quite some time. He was pondering on what to do. He heard Gwen's reasoning for the heist and heard the objection of the others. He considered the positives and the negatives. He finally broke his silence. "I say we do it."

"What?!" Came everyone else. "Why?!"

"It's simple. If we take Chris' illegal collection, it would be a dagger pointed toward his heart. There's no telling how much his collection is worth and if we take it right under his nose, not only will he lose a great leverage of wealth. Better yet, if this art is as hot as Gwen claims, he can never get them back again. After all, if he reports stolen art that was stolen from him, the authorities will probably want to have a good talk with him.'' Noah explained, to the still incredulous or angry others. ''Besides, the experience we do up can always come in handy.'' He offhandedly added, though doing so was reluctant as it did nothing to convince the others anymore.

"Scarlett, how soon can you come back to Vancouver with the documents? I'd like to start on this right away."

Scarlett quietly growled and rubbed her knuckles as a way to collect herself for her response. "Well, unfortunately, I have events going on for the next few weeks that I can't get out of," Scarlett replied, while glaring at Gwen but not to a point that gave away her rage. "Could you all meet me at my apartment instead? That way, we can discuss the plans there and I can make sure that I have some time off afterward."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea-"

"Oh come on, Gwen! I say we should at least do so. After all, she does have the documents and you kinda owe her one for putting her on the spot."

"Hey! I thought you were on my side, Cody!"

"Well, Cody does have a point. I second the idea that we should meet at Scarlett's place. After all, we do owe her that since she's been quiet most of the call. Do you have any objections to this?" Noah asked.

"None at all." Scarlett neutrally stated.

''Solid.'' Duncan curtly replied before he cut the connection, followed by the others on very short notice.

''Goodbye to you too, _pricks_.'' Gwen grumbled as she was left surprised and annoyed by the crass way their conversation ended.

* * *

Scarlett placed her cup of tea down and looked at the computer. It had been some time after the call and the auction for Da Vinci's _Salvator Mundi_ had just started. She had called earlier and found out that a associate of Chris would be bidding on the painting on his behalf. While she knew that the painting would go far beyond her price range, she had no interest to buy it now but rather to have a little bit of fun and to be a bidder that'd solely drive up the prize and make the painting cost Chris more than he expected.

As she placed a bid for 40 million, only for it to go up five million a second later, she was reading the news on her phone when she came across this headline:

" _Former Total Drama Contestant Gwen Detweiler arrested following major drug bust_."

"Wha-" Scarlett started to say before going silent. She placed her tea down and after seeing that the Mundi had gone up to 85 million, made a bid for 90 million, she scrolled down to read more.

" _Following a major drug bust_ _in Sudbury, Ontario,_ _at a drug dealer hideout known locally as the Brown Mill 43 people were placed under arrest and charged with the possession of heroin. One of the people arrested was Gwen Detweiler, a former competitor from the reality show Total Drama. Following her arrest, she posted bail and will be expected to appear in court this week_."

After Scarlett finished reading the article, she took her glasses off and rubbed her head. Even the most intelligent and brilliant women have their limits and with both Gwen putting her in the hotseat and her arrest, it was only a matter of time until Scarlett herself would finally be pushed over the edge.

But for now, she was fuming. Scarlett was so angry at what she just read that she forgot about the auction and closed her laptop to sit in complete silence. She tried to drink her tea, but her hands were so shaky that she spilled it all over her dress. Scarlett simply couldn't believe it. This confirmed what she had already thought of; that Gwen is receiving superior priority over her and everyone else despite her serious incompetence. Why else would Noah agree to rob Chris of his art? Why else would she do this? To spite her? To undermine her? To show that she needs to be above everyone else? Despite this heist aiding her own personal interests, Scarlett was in no way pleased. Instead, she was seething with anger over the circumstances how it'd come to be; being blackmailed by a useless, drug-addled woman who inexplicably got her way.

These questions kept floating within her mind. But, instead of fuming, she saw the questions as an opportunity. Obviously, none of the others knew about what happened to Gwen since if they did, they would've mentioned it during their call. This proved to be vital for Scarlett. She was going to turn the tables on Gwen and use this to get her agendas across. As she reopened her laptop to check on the auction and requested another cup of tea, she smirked widely. "I believe I can use this to my advantage."

* * *

The day they met would come faster than they fully realized.

''This better be worth it." Gwen mumbled as they stood outside of Scarlett's apartment, a rather stately looking building in Quebec City. "I don't see why we had to come here to get the documents."

"You shouldn't be complaining there, Pasty. You wanting to rob Chris of something else than we bargained for and got us into this mess." Duncan replied.

"Oh go stick it where the sun doesn't shine!" She hissed.

Duncan just glared at her and mumbled, "Whatever" under his breath before lighting up a cigarette.

"I'm just glad to be off of the road for once," Geoff commented. "I joined this group to make money, not waste my time driving lumber trucks like I did before."

"I'm not going to respond to that," Noah added, before noticing that they were one short. "Hey, where's Cody at?"

"He said that he went to a nearby shop to get something, but I have no idea why he went." Gwen answered.

"Does he know that it's crunch time, not leisure time?" Duncan grunted before taking a drag from his cigarette.

"I wouldn't be too hard on the dude. Maybe he's trying to find a house gift for Scarlett."

"Please. The twerp likes her, though he's trying to not get too far ahead." Duncan answered after puffing out.

"And how do you know this?" Noah inquired, mildly curious.

"Well if you were locked together in a cabin for a whole night and didn't want to sleep together, you both learn a thing or two about each other." Duncan complainingly responded, forcing a smile out of the others.

Shortly after, they heard a car horn honking at them and saw Cody drive up and park next to where they were. "Sorry, I'm late guys! I had to stop by a shop two blocks from here to get Scarlett this."

He held up a box of Wiener Backstüberl Vanillekipferl cookies. [2] "They're an Austrian delicacy."

"While that's touching, we've wasted enough time already. Let's just get this over with." Gwen declared before they approached the front door.

* * *

The five of them headed into Scarlett's apartment building. Luckily for them, she lived on the ground floor, in apartment 1N. It took them just a moment to find the apartment door. Noah knocked on the door.

Scarlett opened the door wearing a flowing plum kimono and had her hair tied back in a long ponytail, making her look more tranquil than the others knew her to be. "Hello everyone. So glad you all made it. Won't you come in?"

When they entered her apartment, they found that it had a lot of antique furniture and fine art. What caught their immediate attention upon entering was the massive portrait of Scarlett on top of the mantel, sitting sideways in a chair while wearing a period costume. [3]

"A bit elegant don't you think?" Noah questioned.

''I'd rather call it obnoxious.'' Duncan deadpanned.

"Oh, you mean the portrait?" Scarlett asked. "Well, it was a gift for my eighteenth birthday from my parents. They commissioned one of Canada's finest portrait painters to paint me over a period of several weeks." She explained as she watched the portrait and feeling a unusual pride again because of it.

"I brought you a little something," Cody added, handing Scarlett the box of cookies.

She was hesitant to accept Cody's gift, but when she saw what was in the box, a smile formed on her face. "I've not had these ever since I was a little girl. I've been wanting some for the longest time. Did you get these from the bakery not far from here?"

"I did," Cody humbly replied. "According to the bakers, they're bringing them back to Canada after almost ten years of being only available in Europe."

"Well, I'll definitely have one more item to purchase when I go there every week. Thank you, Cody."

"No problem, Scarlett."

"How ironic that you bought me an Austrian delicacy when I made another kind of Austrian delicacy this morning. I also made coffee so that we could have refreshments while talking strategy. Is that okay with everyone?"

"Yes." Everyone replied.

"Okay, let me go get my coffee set and we'll get started." Scarlett motioned her hand toward the furniture. "Do sit down. Make yourselves comfortable." She left the living room and just as when Duncan and Geoff were about to sit down, she yelled out, "And do not put your feet on the coffee table or lay down on the sofas! I will castrate you if you ruin my furniture!"

Scarlett went into the kitchen and saw her coffee set all ready to go. She was about to head back into the parlor when she heard her phone ring. Curious as to who would be calling her, she decided to see who it was. "Hello?" She answered.

The remainder of the heist group was sitting around in quietness until they heard Scarlett's yelling coming from the kitchen. Obviously, someone was in a big heap of trouble.

"It's incredible!" Scarlett yelled over the phone. "Sixteen years and not a trace of it! It couldn't have vanished into thin air!" She paused for a moment. "Are you sure you searched everywhere?" [4]

The answer she got obviously didn't satisfy her. "- and what about the mountain caves? The forests? The towns?"

She listened to the person on the other end of the line until they commented something that made her eyes widen.

"Why you little-" Scarlett had finally reached a snapping point. "You Fools! Idiots! Imbeciles!" The others sat in horror as they heard Scarlett throwing objects around in the next room and had to duck as a telephone came flying into the room. "Oh, they're hopeless. A disgrace to the art world."

The others couldn't help but raise an eyebrow over what Scarlett said, but decided that they would try to figure out what she meant later on.

She came back into the living room a moment later carrying the coffee tray. "I apologize for the delay. I had an unexpected phone call that had to be dealt with. Anyone care for some Sachertorte with your choice of Konsul, Türkischer, and Schwarzer coffees?" [5]

Everyone looked at each other a little wide-eyed since they heard Scarlett going crazy over the phone, but acting civilized and calm around them. "Did I miss something?"

"No, you didn't miss anything at all."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow at this but shrugged it off as she sat down and passed out slices of the Sachertorte. After everyone grabbed their delicacies and coffee, Scarlett placed a briefcase next to the coffee set.

"What is that?" Gwen asked.

"This briefcase contains all of the documents dealing with Chris' art collection, what pieces he has, where they came from, and when he acquired them." Scarlett commented as she unlocked the briefcase. ''Unfortunately, the only topic that isn't mentioned is where they went after Chris took them off of me.'' She added, slightly disappointed. She looked up at Gwen and gave her a frightening look. "This will show that I never go back on my word."

Gwen felt her heart almost beating out of her chest when she saw the look Scarlett gave her. She never knew that Scarlett would have this much venom within her, but to her dismay, she saw that the others didn't quite catch on. This made her wonder why Scarlett was acting this way. She thought that she'd be pleased that they were going after Chris, but found that she was annoyed to some degree. Gwen made a mental note to potentially discuss this with Noah in private.

Scarlett opened the briefcase and laid out all of the papers on the table. Before Gwen went up to reach them, Scarlett slapped her hand away.

"Ow! What was that for!" Gwen called, retracting her hand back.

"I have a slight condition." Scarlett formally announced.

"And that is?"

"In return for the documents and my help in robbing Chris' illegal art collection, I want to decide what pieces will be found and what pieces are to be kept for our own usage."

"And why should I allow you to do this Scarlett?"

"Because I'm not going to be upstaged by anyone on this team. Retrieving this art has been my brainchild for years, Gwen. You may think this to be your heist and that you get to call the shots, but I should have the final say!"

"What if I refuse?"

"Oh, you don't want to even go there with me." Scarlett flash a wicked grin. She turned back into the suitcase and picked up a lighter. "If you refuse, all of the documents will become ashes in a matter of minutes. Considering that I have the only copies and also can refuse to help, think about this carefully."

Scarlett picked up an envelope that had all of the photos of the artwork. She opened her lighter and was about to move the envelope to the flame when Gwen shot up. "No! Wait! I'll let you keep whatever you want! Just don't burn them! They're the only way I can justify my wrecked conscious." She begged.

This submissive plea pleased Scarlett enough that she promptly closed the lighter and placed the envelope back on the table. "A pleasure doing business. Now with that little matter taken care of, shall we get started?"

All of the others nodded in agreement, clearly afraid to even consider crossing Scarlett now that some of her claws had come out. Gwen was a bit shook up, but calmed her nerves by drinking some coffee and passing the documents. Scarlett smirked as she took one of the cookies Cody had got her and opened up her laptop to find the articles she found over the Mundi that morning. She had managed, for a time being, to keep her cool but to put Gwen in her place and show that she would not tolerate being second fiddle to the group's most socially important heist to date.

However, little did she know that this would just the tip of her problems and she would find an unexpected solution from someone in the group and start to appreciate them just a little bit more than a friend.

* * *

 **[1]- This is a reference to Warrior's "Night Terrors" story. It talks about Geoff getting a job at a pizza parlor and what strange things might occur after sunset. I would highly recommend it for those who are familiar with the Five Nights at Freddy's game (which sadly I'm not, but it's still a good read nonetheless).**

 **[2]- This translates to Vanilla Croissant Cookies.**

 **[3]- The painting is similar to the one Fanny Trevills, played by Bette Davis, posed for Job Skeffington, her future husband, in the 1944 film** ** _Mr. Skeffington_** **.**

 **[4]- Of course there had to be a Maleficent reference from 1959's** ** _Sleeping Beauty_** **. Scarlett seems to be a combination of Yzma, in terms of scheming, and Maleficent, in terms of anger. :P**

 **[5]- The Sachertorte is an Austrian chocolate cake with apricot jam in the center. It was invented by Franz Sacher in 1832 for the Royal Viennese Court. The Konsul, Türkischer, and Schwarzer are variations of coffees that are served within Austria. The Konsul is black coffee with a small spot of unwhipped cream. The Türkischer means "Turkish one" and is grated coffee boiled for a long time in water with sugar and served very hot, with the grains still in the cup. The Schwarzer is strong black coffee that is normally consumed with a lot of sugar but served without it.**

 **Some of you may question why Scarlett was a dominant character in this chapter. Well given her background as an art historian and being the one who acquired the stolen art for Chris, only to get double-crossed, Scarlett's not going to be undermined by anyone else. She wants her revenge on Chris just as much, if not more than the others. And seeing her short temper shows that someone's going to get hurt in the process of their biggest heist to date.**

 **Well, I do hope that you guys have enjoyed this! I'm excited to see what direction our gang will head off to next. Warrior and I still have a lot of twists and turns left to unveil. Why we've only seen the tip of the iceberg! c:**

 **Until next time! Please read, review, favor, alert, and spread the word!**

 **-Applauze and L.W.**


	12. Killer Queen

**No Honor Among Thieves**

 **Dereck Lindsey: You may've noted that Scarlett takes a much more dominant role indeed! Especially regarding that force part you mentioned!**

 **Applauze: We did? Oh boy! Another milestone achieved! I don't know if we can make a 100.000 words but we can always try of course! If we are to finish this by the end of the year, we should put in _a lot_ of work though!**

 **Joel Connell: I'm sure Scarlett _would_ burn the documents actually! It may be her personal project but at the same time I don't allow her to be blackmailed with it! Her pride keeps her from doing that. Lastly, they're not going to sell the art but rather dump it to be found and returned to its owners! That's why the others were so angry with her; they aren't getting any reward!**

 **ChrisMustSuffer: To repeat myself, they aren't going to sell them and donate their money to the bank robbery victims. Instead, the context of 'doing society a favor' was that they steal art long thought to be lost and return it to society! It probably won't have much significance for the affected bank clients, but it probably will sooth Gwen's mind! Aside from that, you deserve our gratitude for enjoying it so much as well!**

 **Guest: You know, we never considered that Chris could get awfully paranoid indeed. Though that'd be unavoidable consequence! Maybe we'll see how much he thinks of it once the gig has gone down!**

 **Great Story Alert: Funny that you mention hurt, or killed because... I'm not telling yet! You seem like a connoisseur of fine arts as well! You probably could get along great with Applauze! He was the one who came up with this particular heist out of his love for art!**

 **A new month, a new chapter! It turned out longer than initially expected after Applauze went to it, but that is probably only a good thing!**

 **Rated U-E for unpleasant events! Seriously, be warned for some violence.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Killer Queen**

* * *

Shortly after, Scarlett had assembled relevant documents and photos of importance and tacked them to a corkboard.

''Right now, we miss crucial information on the whereabouts of the art, and as long as we don't know, we can't continue! Fortunately, while we know next to nothing, the contact I handed the art over to lives not too far away. He should have the information we need. Duncan, change into these." Scarlett behested while handing Duncan some clothes.

"Why?"

"I'll explain as we're on our way down there. There's a bathroom down the hall you can change into. I also need to change, but I shouldn't take long." She answered while heading toward her bedroom. Duncan just sighed as he went into the bathroom and changed. He came out a few moments later, wearing a white suit jacket with black pants and a Panama hat. A few minutes later, Scarlett came out wearing a white dress with a white lace shawl wrapped around her head and had replaced her glasses with contacts. She then took something out of a kitchen drawers of hers before Scarlett and Duncan were about to leave, turning back to the rest. ''The rest of you, I don't care what you do, just do anything productive to our cause!'' She mildly scolded them before she left.

The others couldn't help but wonder what she was up to, and why it had to involve Duncan and what they were wearing.

* * *

As Scarlett drove a car that probably wasn't registered under her name, it remained quiet between the two; it was uncomfortable, but both were at peace with that.

For a while, he had been assessing Scarlett and her mood. Her temper might've died down, but Duncan knew that quiet waters had hidden depths and Scarlett might seem calm on the outside didn't have to mean anything. Ever since they began working together, Duncan got an unpleasant vibe from her, even with the behavior and attitude Scarlett displayed considered. He heard the stories about how she apparently reformed after threatening to blow up an entire island, but Duncan never fully bought into that, even now. It was like he could still see a raging fire in her eyes.

''So, what do you need me for?'' Duncan finally managed to ask as Scarlett. ''Isn't one person enough to ask him about the location of the art?''

''Probably. But your company may help convince him to share it.'' Scarlett remarked.

''What are you saying?'' Duncan inquired, raising an eyebrow.

''He's a wimp, but he's either extremely loyal or, more likely, deathly afraid of him so he won't talk without an incentive. I expect it to turn...unpleasant.'' Scarlett stoically predicted.

''Well, I'm used to some hard knocks.'' Duncan shrugged as he crossed his arms. Somewhere, in the back of his head he should've known what Scarlett's definition of unpleasant would be, but unfortunately, he would be rudely introduced to it later that day.

"You're also the only one I can see out of the rest of the group who could help me get the information we need without too much of a fuss. Gwen and I aren't on good terms, as you might know, and if I had taken her, I might've taken my frustrations out on her instead of the man we're going to see."

"Understand that, totally. You're not telling me anything new. She's also been rather frosty toward me."

"Geoff is a smart as a monkey carrying a banana nut bread basket. Noah would think of this as a waste of time, and Cody-" She stopped for a moment, trying to think of the words to say. "He's too gullible, too innocent for a job like this. I couldn't do that to him. Not after all the kindness he's showed me."

* * *

Back in the city, the four other members of the team sat in a coffeehouse, wasting their time for lack of a better idea or any alternative at all. Like in every contemporary coffeehouse, while the four of them sat at one table, all of them were occupied with their own smartphones or in Gwen's case a laptop while drinking their coffee. Eventually, Cody's phone vibrated because he got a message. Whatever it was, upon reading it and realizing the sender made Cody cast a worried look and tense up as he looked at the others to check if they hadn't noticed, but they did all the easier instead.

''What's up?'' Gwen asked, having noticed Cody's glance.

''Nothing... my sports team lost!'' Cody answered, smiling sheepishly as he desperately tried to recompose himself. ''It was an important match!''

''Really? Is that why you've been a little tense all day?'' Gwen wondered.

''Yes! I mean-'' Cody eagerly confirmed, perhaps a little too eager as he calmed down. ''There was a big buildup of tension for it!''

''You and sports teams? You and sports at all?'' Noah calmly asked, raising an eyebrow.

''Yeah it's a... long story!'' Cody admitted. ''I got a little bored with computers one so I tried out some new hobbies!'' He awkwardly explained as he was treated to flat glares by the others.

''Sure...'' Noah indifferently shrugged before everyone turned their focus back to their phones, except for Cody.

''So... what are you doing?'' He asked Gwen, peeking onto her laptop screen.

'I'm doing research about some of the artworks that were on Scarlett's list. Some of them have been reportedly lost for decades and now it turns out that many of these highly sought-after paintings are in possession of just one douchebag! It sounds too good to be true! Sometimes I fear it's all a dud or even worse, a trap.'' Gwen explained, ending on a mistrustful note.

''If it was, wouldn't Scarlett have figured that out by now?'' Cody pointed out faintly optimistic.

''I guess you're sort of right about that.'' Gwen unsurely responded.

When Cody went on a texting spree, based on how quick the others noticed his fingers were moving, Noah scooted his chair over to where Gwen's laptop was at. "I'm curious, Gwen, but why does all of this stolen art fascinate you?"

"Well, in the final analysis, it comes down to the fact that these are stolen cultural treasures, missing for decades, even centuries, and that it's not fair for one greedy bastard getting to enjoy all of them while artists such as myself have to lament over the fact that justice is being delayed for the museums, for the owners, for the artists themselves, who painted these works for people to enjoy, only to have them be stolen and dissapear simply because they could fetch a good price on the black market."

"So it fascinates you because you want to do the ultimate right and see these stolen treasures returned to where they were. Then why did you make a deal with Scarlett for her to pick what pieces she wanted?"

"What else was I supposed to do Noah? Let her destroy the only lead we had and sit on the sidelines? I hate the fact that not all of the art will be returned, but I guess that's what I deserved for kinda blackmailing her into making her pet project our next target. Do you think she's angry with me?"

"She seems to calm down, a bit, but I'd still keep an eye on her. I don't want you to end up losing your head."

"Sounds like you care a lot for me, huh?"

Gwen's question caught Noah off-guard as he struggled to come up with a good answer. "Well, I-uh-hmm..."

"It's okay if you can't answer. Even the best know-it-alls have a cat that has their tongues tongue-tied." Gwen replied, giving Noah a small smile.

Noah was puzzled by Gwen's reaction but decided not to chase that rabbit at the moment. "I see. Well, enlighten me on some of this art. I'm curious as to what we're going after and want to be well informed on what we're going after."

"This is surprising. I figured that since you read so often that you'd be well informed on almost everything." She pointed out.

"Well, I'm not _that_ much of a know it all." He argued.

They spent some time looking at the artworks on Gwen's computer and talking about them. It felt refreshing for Gwen to have someone to talk to over a subject she was passionate about, without being afraid of losing her head from her neck. She was surprised by Noah wanting to learn about art, and why they were going after certain works and of their style, of their importance and so forth.

At some point, Gwen's phone vibrated. She initially didn't expect anything but she read the reminder she got about her mother dropping by her apartment today. Gwen began to feel uncomfortably hot; the deal was that every time Gwen did leave home, she'd message her mother about it, which she completely forgot when she headed for Scarlett. Not only would her mother be furious for not being at home and telling her about her whereabouts with like she said she would, she'd probably ask Gwen where she went, for which Gwen haven't thought up a decent excuse. She knew that she get herself into it, but there hasn't been any moment before that Gwen loathed being babied so much by her own mother.

She had been unresponsive for too long and realized she was getting the same treatment as Cody barely minutes earlier and it made her way too nervous. If she wanted to leave, she should've done immediately upon reading the reminder but was too nervous to be caught. But now it was too late, and with that came the penalty of being even more likely to be caught. She had to go, but she couldn't just tell them she had to be home because her mother dropped by, it'd arouse too many questions, difficult questions.

''Guys- I have to go back home! It's, it's because of an emergency with my mother!'' Gwen hastily declared as she stood up and slowly backed away.

''What's wrong?'' Cody replied, curious as well as a little concerned for Gwen.

''She- I- I'll tell you later! I'll be back tomorrow!'' Gwen stammered before she rushed off, willfully avoiding all contact and quietly counting her blessings for not being too far away from her home.

''What was up with her?''

''Whatever it was, it must've been really bad. She even forgot her laptop!'' Geoff pointed out while Noah remained quiet. He found it suspicious that Gwen responded so late to the message, despite it being an emergency. Even stranger was how Gwen assured them to be back tomorrow, which Noah found an odd thing to know for certain when there are emergencies going on. He just felt Gwen was hiding something but decided to stay ignorant as he had a feeling exposing whatever Gwen was trying to hide from the rest would be a very bad move.

* * *

As the evening slowly set in, Scarlett drove into an upper-class residential neighborhood. ''Here it is,'' Scarlett announced, glancing over to a modern single-floor home surrounded by a big garden as she found a nearby, secluded spot to park the car. They went into the trunk and Duncan saw Scarlett retrieve a crowbar and rope.

''Isn't it a bit early to go breaking in?'' Duncan asked, frantically looking around to check if someone's around, having experience in that carrying such specific tools out in the open may arouse suspicion.

''Duncan, I can assure you I do not intend to use those tools to break in,'' Scarlett remarked. She chuckled briefly before she frowned and her daintily laugh received a lingering hint of malice right before she stopped and cast a deadly serious expression again. ''Not into homes at least.''

''Alright...'' Duncan replied, unsure what to think of her response and her laugh as Scarlett closed the trunk. "So what's up with our outfits?"

"We're posing as a well-off couple who wants to inquire about hiring him as an art dealer."

Duncan raised an eyebrow at Scarlett's explanation. "Why couldn't we just use ski masks instead?"

"I thought about and remembered that we used them already when we robbed the bank back in Whistler. If we used them again, and if he has security cameras, an image could be produced that could show the same people who robbed the bank and came here. That was a risk I wasn't willing to take, and plus, having a different look allows us to remain under the radar."

"But why go for these clothes in particular?"

"Well, it was the best I could do under limited circumstances!" Scarlett responded, calm but with increasing annoyance before she handed him the crowbar and the rope. ''Put these under your jacket!''

They headed toward their target, Duncan walking in front and Scarlett followed right beside him. The lace shawl kept her hair hidden well enough to where he wouldn't recognize her right away. ''I still don't really get what you need the blowtorch for you got out of your kitchen drawer...'' Duncan mumbled before they approached the doorbell and rung it like any person with peaceful intentions would, and the contact wasn't expecting any different.

When the contact, a middle-aged man opened the door, he was surprised to find two well-dressed people on his front porch. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Duncan spoke in a more finer voice, "My wife and I heard about you through some good friends of ours and was wondering if we could hire you as our art dealer?"

Scarlett looked at Duncan with a slightly nervous glance, hoping that his explanation worked.

"Well, why didn't you say so! Come on in!" He exclaimed while they stepped into his foyer and out of sight of the outdoor camera. "It's always glad to have a new client-"

He yelped out of shock when they forcibly pushed him into his living room.

''What's this?!'' The man exclaimed in horror, being sat down in a chair by Duncan while Scarlett briefly but perceptively checked the room for cameras.

''Bonsoir, Giles Martin... remember me?'' Scarlett asked as she removed the shawl and got up close to her previous contact.

''Scarlett? What's the meaning of this?'' Giles exclaimed in surprise and confusion.

''Giles, the last time I saw you, I relayed plenty of art pieces over to you to bring to our mutual client. I need you to point me and my associate to the location where you were brought the art I gave you.'' Scarlett calmly yet curtly explained.

''What's with that art?''

''Answer me.'' Scarlett interrupted, shooting a subtly intimidating frown.

''I don't know who it was for! So-'' Giles tried to answer before he received a firm, powerful slap in the face from Scarlett.

''I repeat; where did the art go to?'' Scarlett insistently asked, beginning to get angry as she nodded her head to Duncan, who got the rope out of his jacket.

''I'm not allowed to say I'm afraid...'' Giles answered shortly before being tied down by Duncan. ''What are you doing?'' He shouted in shock as he was unable to move at all when Duncan was done with him. Meanwhile, Scarlett got the torch out of her pocket and turned it on, the warm look of the flame soothing her glare briefly.

''This can get really painful Giles...'' Scarlett darkly warned as she paced around him, the flame blowing quietly a mere inch away from his ear. ''Where were you instructed to bring the art? I know you were in closer contact with our customer than I was, you should know.''

''I never got to meet the contact either! He kept his distance!'' Giles fearfully explained before Scarlett put the flame upon his cheek, making him holler in pain and leaving a burn mark.

''Answer me!'' Scarlett demandingly snarled.

''The client requested absolute secrecy. I never got a name, or anything that could-'' Giles said, as he explained, Scarlett gestured Duncan to hand her the crowbar and as soon as it was in her grasp, Scarlett powerfully swung it on Giles' knee, making him yelp in pain while Scarlett looked on, getting badly impatient and containing even more fury behind her eyes.

''I _know_ he did! I'm not asking for the buyer's identity, but rather where he wanted you to deliver the art!'' Scarlett spat, trying to remain formal but her anger clearly showing. ''Why are you making this so difficult for yourself, Giles?'' Scarlett growled, starting to forget that Duncan was with her and now doing the entire interrogation by herself. Before she continued, she powerfully hit Giles' hands with the crowbar, the sickening crunch implying it broke while Giles wailed in agony once more. ''Tell me, where you had to take the art!'' Scarlett demandingly yelled.

''I, I can't!'' Giles answered, breathing through his gritted teeth while trying to bite away the pain. ''As a professional, I must respect the privacy of my customers!'' Giles declared, hesitant to do so. Giles' answer made something snap with Scarlett. She couldn't bear her frustration anymore as her bottled up anger began to flow out of every pore.

''What's that? Do you refuse to answer because of morals? Principles?! Are you one of those people who think they're heroes for adhering to some insignificant code and want to do good?! Huh? Huh? _Huh_!?'' Scarlett maliciously shouted as she hit Giles' body repeatedly and violent with the crowbar while Duncan looked on.

While Duncan wasn't an opponent to a physical interrogation, shoot he wasn't very opposed to violence at all, his stomach churned seeing Scarlett going berserk on her contact. When Scarlett began to hit Giles in the head with the crowbar in quick succession, blood was sent flying everywhere as she rapidly whipped him. It was clear to Duncan now that Scarlett was now more concerned venting anger instead of interrogating. Even if he didn't fully understand where that anger came from or what triggered Scarlett, Duncan grabbed her in a hold from behind and dragged her away from Giles.

''What are you doing?!'' Scarlett roared while Duncan kept her restrained for a little longer.

''Go easy on him or you'll whack him before he gets to talk!'' Duncan hissed as Scarlett thrashed and breathed wildly. While he too did it for the reason he stated, Duncan also tried to save the man from Scarlett's fury. Upon hearing Duncan's reasoning, Scarlett's temper died down very slowly as she stopped thrashing about, though there was still plenty of malice to be seen her face.

''I suppose,'' Scarlett replied as Duncan let her go. Scarlett then went to the kitchen and got a glass of water, which she promptly threw in Giles' face to bring him back to his senses a little. As Giles coughed, Scarlett took another chair and sat opposite of him, after which they all remained quiet for a good while, during which Scarlett noted that Giles had peed himself out of sheer terror from his beating earlier. Scarlett eyed him and subtly enjoying his submission and humiliation, her mouth curling into a subtle smile as she lavished in superiority.

''What do you want?'' Giles grunted, hanging his head out fatigue and pain.

''I don't want to have to ask you again, and I don't think you want to endure my... lesser respectable moments again.'' Scarlett formally reasoned, yet with a remaining threatening undertone, which was redundant as the sight of the blowtorch was enough to force Giles into submission.

''I- I will answer,'' Giles admitted, having to pause regularly to breathe and let his racing heart calm down. ''I had to bring the art to a place-'' He paused briefly to cough up blood. ''-called Royalwood Estate, some 100 miles south.''

''You do understand that if you're giving us the wrong information, that we'll come back and start over again.'' Scarlett reminded him.

''It's the truth!''

''Good.'' Scarlett casually responded as she got up and checked the living room again, picking up a vase that looked rather expensive. ''Now, where do you keep your valuables in your house?''

''What?''

''Answer.'' Scarlett hauntingly breathed, the grim tone of voice alone giving Giles traumatic flashbacks to his arduous ordeal minutes earlier.

''There's a vault on my bedroom desk! The combination is 15-27-04.'' Giles meekly answered.

''Excellent. Go get it.'' Scarlett instructed Duncan.

''Listen closely. I am certain you're going to report to the authorities, but what you're going to claim that two people broke into your home and tortured you for the location of the safe and the combination. Have I made myself clear?'' Scarlett instructed, to which Giles nodded affirmatively while Scarlett held the vase. ''We have a police scanner in our car. If you dare call them before the sun rises, we will give them a homicide to solve instead of a burglary!'' She threatened, suddenly pulling a stiletto out of her sleeve and turning it to him before picking up her shawl from the table, wrapping it back around her head, and followed Duncan out of the house. ''Goodbye.''

''Cheaply mass-produced kitsch. I expected Giles to have better taste.'' Scarlett grumbled indignantly as they walked back to the car, examining the vase for its quality and then tossing it away while Duncan was still mentally recovering from the brutality he witnessed.

''What were you talking about? There isn't a police scanner in here.'' Duncan stated as they got into the car and Duncan checked the dashboard.

''That was bluff. I needed to get the message across.'' Scarlett explained, stuffing the few jewels they stole from Giles in her pocket.

''I think he'd have gotten the message anyway,'' Duncan said, rather taken aback as he rolled his eyes.

''Call the others and tell them to look up Royalwood Estate,'' Scarlett instructed as she lit a cigarette and turned the ignition on.

''I'm on it,'' Duncan answered as he dialed in a number and waited for the other side to pick up. As the dialing tone sounded in his ears, he cast an unsure glance over to Scarlett as she drove the car onto the highway.

The Scarlett he just saw was nothing like what he thought she could be like. Duncan figured that Scarlett at worst knew her way with violence and intimidation, but that she'd always remain calm and collected at the same time. But the Scarlett he witnessed was very much unlike that; once she lost her cool out of seemingly nowhere and almost bludgeoned a man to death, _violently_ bludgeoned a man to death in a sudden flurry of pure relentless anger. He could hardly understand why Cody had an eye on her, even less now.

Cody. He shuddered when he had an image appear in his head of a malice Scarlett beating the poor guy to death during an angry spell. While he wasn't close friends with him, he had gotten to know him better and begrudgingly respected him more following the past two heists. And he didn't want the dude to end up getting killed by a woman who could explode at one moment and be elegant the next. He had to warn him since he didn't want Cody to end up making a mistake that he would regret for the rest of his life.

But what spooked Duncan as well is how calm and quickly so Scarlett had become in some ten minutes of time since Duncan kept her from killing the man; it seemed very unnatural to see her like an unchained beast then and returned to a calm, proper woman now. Before this interrogation, Duncan could faintly predict Scarlett's actual mood, but now he can't be certain of anything anymore and feared that she could perhaps unleash her wrath on him or the rest of the crew.

* * *

''You got it. I'll check it immediately. We'll meet you back at Scarlett's place.'' Noah answered before he hung up, having received the instructions from Duncan. He hung up and immediately accessed his phone's web browser.

''What's up?'' Geoff asked, standing hunched over a billiards table in a pool hall to kill the time.

''Duncan and Scarlett might've gotten a lead. They asked me to look up a mansion somewhere.'' Noah explained just as he got to the right information while Geoff hit a billiards ball.

* * *

Later that night, everyone had gathered for the debrief at Scarlett's apartment, waiting at her front door just as Duncan and Scarlett arrived.

''Where's Gwen?'' Scarlett noted as she unlocked her door.

''She had to leave suddenly. Family emergency.'' Noah answered, to which Scarlett cast a quick glare before shrugging.

''What have you found?''

''I did some digging, and Royalwood Estate is owned by Goodman And Hutz legal group, which in turn is an associate of Total Drama Limited. It doesn't have to mean anything, but the guy may be speaking the truth.'' Noah explained.

''Did you need a lot to make him talk?'' Cody asked, his infatuation making him a little oblivious to what Scarlett could've possibly done to do so.

''It wasn't noteworthy.'' Scarlett indifferently shrugged as she turned to Cody. ''At least he better have given us a proper lead or we'll go back to continue what we started.'' She added while Cody noted several red spots on her dress.

''What's that?'' Cody asked, taking a closer look as Scarlett took notice of the spots as well, and realized it were droplets of blood while Duncan cast a look of mild shock.

''I... I don't know.'' Scarlett casually answered as she tried to wipe it away, but instead made it spread out, making her sigh irritably. ''I'd appreciate if you left now. Return tomorrow so we can start scouting the area around the mansion and find out if the art is really there.'' She formally stated as she looked at herself in the mirror and tried to fix her looks, annoyed and still a little frustrated.

''Goodnight Scarlett.'' Cody greeted her as he was about to leave.

''Goodnight.'' Scarlett wearily responded, able to afford at least a remotely cordial tone as the others walked out of her home. These days have been strenuous, having to deal being low-key blackmailed and exposed to all other kinds of frustrations stressed her out and the only thing she desired now was a hot bath to calm down her tense mind. But before she went to take her bath, Scarlett looked up at her portrait and had a sense of yearning for the intelligent and elegant woman that was painted, not the maniac almost killed a guy out of anger person that she was earlier that evening. Everything was making her tense, almost willing to find a scapegoat to use a punching back to vent her problems onto.

She took off the shawl and placed it on a nearby wingback armchair and headed toward that hot bath, hoping that it would calm her down and to get her mind off of the heist and the massive headache it was causing her to have.

* * *

''You heard the lady, dudes. See you tomorrow.'' Geoff said outside of the apartment building as they split off to head to their accommodations. Cody and Duncan coincidentally ended up walking the same route, and this was favorable to Duncan.

''Hey Cody,'' Duncan spoke as he slowed Cody's walked down to a crawl.

''What?''

''You still have the hots for Scarlett or not?'' Duncan asked, despite being well aware of the answer.

''Of course! She's pretty cute... in a very classy way! She's well versed in etiquette; sure, not extraordinarily nice...'' Cody answered, shrugging his shoulder a little at his own admission. [1]

''I can confirm that.'' Duncan quietly grumbled.

''But she has this elegance I just never knew I dug so much until I first saw her! I know she might seem distant, but then again I just feel like we connect!'' Cody dreamily continued. ''And If I'm being honest, she's one of the only things I can hold on to right now.'' He mumbled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

''Dude, she's anything _but_ elegant and grace when she feels too!'' Duncan sternly assured him, ignoring Cody's latter remark as he eyed Duncan, puzzled.

''Huh?''

''That red stuff on her coat? Wasn't it obvious? That was _blood_.'' Duncan grimly pointed out. ''Blood from the guy she almost tortured to death!''

''Seriously?'' Cody exclaimed in pure shock.

''Very serious! She was already pretty hard on him, burning him with a kitchen torch, but then she went _berserk_ on the poor dude! She could've batted his head clean off! His face was a bloody mess and he barely hung on to life-''

''Alright enough!'' Cody called, appalled but also not wanting to be faced with the horrors Scarlett committed.

''You may want to watch your back, and think twice about those feeling you have for her. Before you know it, we're being given botched plastic surgery with a crowbar.'' Duncan calmly warned, actually feeling a little sympathy for Cody.

''Yeah, I will,'' Cody mumbled before their paths split.

''Take care,'' Duncan said as he disappeared into town while Cody walked on.

He didn't want to believe. It couldn't be true. He knew Scarlett had an edge but was she really as brutal as Duncan described? As much as he tried to deny it, he had to believe it was more or less the truth. What else were the red splotches on her coat? He began to doubt; doubt whether he actually still had feelings for Scarlett. He wanted to hold on so badly, but knowing that she could this bad of a rampage wasn't worth it. Cody felt terrible, his attraction to Scarlett changed from the only thing that made him feel secure, to just one of the others that were haunting him at the moment.

* * *

 **Bloodcurdling, amirite? :D**

 **[1] A reference to the chapter title, which in turn refers to a certain song!**

 **Did that torture spook you? It was at first way worse but we decided to cut it down a little! It'd be a shame if this story had to be moved to the M section of this fandom!**

 **And whatever Cody's issues are? Do you have any clue?**

 **:D,**

 **L.W. and Applauze**


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